Reemergence Of Polio Is A Global Health Risk
Polio Immunization In India Flickr/RIBI Image Library As recently as March, the World Health Organization was touting major gains in the battle to eradicate polio: Southeast Asia was deemed polio-free. But meanwhile, in countries like war-torn Syria, the amount of children vaccinated dropped dramatically, and the virus was once again spreading. Today, WHO declared an international health emergency: "If unchecked," according to an emergency committee, "this situation could result in failure to eradicate globally one of the world’s most serious vaccine preventable diseases." Two years ago, it seemed that the fight to wipe polio off the planet—a feat that has only been accomplished once in history, with smallpox—would be won. But now, WHO is singling out countries where the virus has spread. Cameroon, Pakistan, and Syria will now require major, international efforts to hold the virus at bay, according to the committee: During the 2014 low...