One of my friends who is traveling to Africa soon received a notice from her travel doctor suggesting that she receive a polio booster. Interesting that Israel, UK and Germany are also on the list which also includes Laos.
I'm pretty sure the risk involved in a polio booster is quite small, so if my physician recommended it, I'd do it.
Hi, Ben! We visited a travel doctor prior to our South Africa trip, and he recommended getting the polio booster unless we had gotten the sugar cube vaccine (the sugar cube contained the weakened live virus and so it has better longevity; the shot contains the inactivated virus). He explained that polio is present in Mozambique and people cross over the borders to work, etc. Later, hearing about incidents of polio in certain communities even in the U.S, we were glad we got the added protection! We had no issues at all with the booster. But of course, anytime you’re considering any type of vaccination or medication, I would check with your doctor to see what is appropriate for you.
I just returned from Africa and I did take the polio booster. Not a problem and better safe than sorry
