Canada
Status: affected by circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)
Polio this week in Canada
- In August 2022, cVDPV2 was isolated from two environmental samples from a large wastewater treatment plant and a target site in the city of Montreal, Quebec. This was after the country conducted retrospective analysis of wastewater samples. Genetic sequencing confirmed linkage to the cVDPV2 case from New York, USA.
International Health Regulations
Countries affected by poliovirus circulation are subject to temporary recommendations issued by the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations on Poliovirus, under the auspices of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The latest report by the Committee is as of May 2023.
Travel advice
WHO’s International Travel and Health recommends that all travellers to polio-affected areas be fully vaccinated against polio. Residents (and visitors for more than 4 weeks) from infected areas should receive an additional dose of OPV or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) within 4 weeks to 12 months of travel.
