Pakistani travelers will not be allowed to enter India after January 30, 2014 if they have not been administered Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) at least six weeks prior to their departure for India. This was a decision made by the Indian government and had to be strictly implemented. Any Pakistani wishing to travel to India has to provide a certificate of vaccination.
Country Director World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Nema Abid told Dawn that India had declared the traveling ban on the recommendations of Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). “In January 2014, IMB will hold a meeting in which 23 countries will participate and may take a collective decision. WHO wants to ensure that polio does not spread to other countries from Pakistan,” he said.
Source: http://www.dawn.com/news/1061993/polio-scare-brings-indian-travel-restriction
Guidelines by Centre of Disease Control – CDC, Atlanta – USA
(Internationally Recognized Body for Disease Control)
ADVISED FOR ADULTS
The specific immunizations required by an adult are determined by factors such as age, lifestyle, health conditions, locations of travel, and previous immunizations. Throughout adult life, the immunizations needed to maintain protection against:
- Seasonal influenza (flu) (for all adults)
- Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) (for all adults who have not previously received the Tdap vaccine)
- Shingles (for adults 60 years and older)
- Pneumococcal disease (for adults 65 years and older and adults with specific health conditions)
- Hepatitis B infection (for adults who have diabetes or are at risk for hepatitis B)
Other vaccinations needed may include those that protect against human papillomavirus (which can cause certain cancers), hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, chickenpox (varicella), and measles, mumps and rubella.
REGARDS TO POLIO VACCINE
Most adults do not need polio vaccination because they may have already been vaccinated as children or developed immunity. But three groups of adults are at higher risk and should consider polio vaccination in the following situations:
- Traveling to polio-endemic or high-risk areas of the world. (Ask local healthcare provider for specific information on whether you need to be vaccinated).
- You are working in a laboratory and handling specimens that might contain polioviruses.
- You are a healthcare worker treating patients who could have polio or have close contact with a person who could be infected with poliovirus.
Adults in these three groups who have never been vaccinated against polio should get 3 doses of IPV:
- The first dose at any time,
- The second dose 1 to 2 months later,
- The third dose 6 to 12 months after the second.
Adults in these three groups who have had 1 or 2 doses of polio vaccine in the past should get the remaining 1 or 2 doses. It doesn’t matter how long it has been since the earlier dose(s).
Adults who are at increased risk of exposure to poliovirus and who have previously completed a routine series of polio vaccine (IPV or OPV) can receive one lifetime booster dose of IPV.
MMI Hospital also offers Vaccination Services for Adults.