The UK P&I Club alerts that the Philippines declared an outbreak of POLIO in September this year and a number of countries have reacted by introducing a requirement for polio vaccine from Filipino seafarers, when visiting certain ports.
During September, the Indonesian Directorate General of Disease Prevention of Ministry of Health reported that it’s compulsory for all Health Offices at Indonesian sea and air ports to make sure that everyone arriving from the Philippines has had a polio vaccination, following the outbreak.
Thus, the Club advises that those travelling from the Philippines should check the immunization requirements concerning the country they’re heading, and if it’s required, they should receive a dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) before departure and get their International Certificate of Vaccination from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to serve as proof of their vaccination.
