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How long can an infected person shed poliovirus in the throat and feces?
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polio
A health care worker giving a polio vaccine to a child in Katsina state, Nigeria, 2014.
An infected person can shed the poliovirus in the following ways:
- Throat: Shedding typically occurs for about one week, beginning a day or more before the onset of symptoms.1
- Feces: An infected individual may continue to shed the virus in their feces for a month or more following the illness.1
Because the virus can be shed in stool for several weeksâeven by individuals who do not exhibit symptomsâit can spread easily in environments with low vaccination rates or poor sanitation.2