US issues travel alert for UK and over 3 dozen other countries | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

United States officials keep careful tabs on global developments. To help keep Americans safe, government officials occasionally issue travel alerts. These ensure that people planning vacations do not put themselves at undue risk of harm.

If you are traveling, it’s critical to pay attention to all of these updates. Otherwise, you could end up in a situation where your health and safety are in jeopardy. This is especially true when an update affects multiple popular destinations to which people in the U.S. often travel.

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Recently, one such alert was issued.

In an Aug. 4 update, the government warned of a very serious risk when visiting dozens of destinations across the globe. If you are planning on heading out on a vacation soon, you need to be aware of the warning to find out if your chosen destination is on the list, to understand the risk, and to take steps to mitigate it.

Here are the details about the new travel alert updated on Aug. 4.

Travelers to the UK and other countries face a serious risk.

Image source&colon; Zapata/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Pay attention to this CDC travel warning

The travel warning was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and it takes the form of a Travel Health Notice. It is a Level 2 alert, which means that you should Practice Enhanced Precautions.

This is a step above Level 1 alerts, where the usual precautions are necessary, but below a Level 3 or 4 alert, which respectively require reconsideration of nonessential travel, or avoiding all travel.

The current Level 2 Alert relates to the potential to develop a serious illness. Specifically, the CDC has stated that “some international destinations have circulating poliovirus.”

These destinations include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, French Guiana (France), Germany, Ghana, and Guinea.

In addition, the affected locations also include Indonesia, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Republic of South Sudan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, including Zanzibar, Uganda, United Kingdom (including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

What does the CDC travel alert recommend?

In its warning, the CDC explained that “polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system.” And, while you can prevent the spread of the virus through good hand washing, if you do get sick, you can face very serious complications, including paralysis.

The loss of muscle function that results from polio can be permanent if you become ill. And polio can also be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralyzed, or if there is an infection of the brain.

If you are planning on traveling to any of the destinations where the virus is currently circulating, you do not want to take any chances of becoming ill. You should follow the CDC’s recommendations for staying safe.

The CDC says the best way to avoid harm is to get the polio vaccine, and that both adults and children must be up-to-date on their routine shots. Adult travelers can also get an activated polio vaccine booster if they’re headed to one of these destinations and have not already received an adult booster dose.

More on travel:

Getting this vaccine is simple, quick, and could potentially save your life, so if you are going to the UK or one of these many other countries, be sure to pay attention to the travel warning and take action.