Making history: from a public health emergency to a polio-free world

with the onset of the high transmission season in June could potentially be disastrous, as the countries that had been exporting poliovirus have strong economic, political, geographic and/or cultural ties to a high number of fragile states and conflict-torn countries. Not only were such areas at highest risk of new importations, but their low routine immunization rates increased the likelihood of explosive polio outbreaks and even the re-establishment of transmission. This situation is com pounded by the inability of some of these countries to mount an effective response against disease outbreaks.