Inside STAT: A resurgence of polio? Experts fear a cautionary tale in measles

A HEALTH WORKER ADMINISTERS POLIO VACCINE IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN. (RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Experts working to eradicate the last remnants of polio are already preparing for a worse outcome: A resurgence of the disease in much the same way that measles has slowly reappeared in the past few years. The initiative to eradicate polio has made big strides — there were 350,000 cases per year in 1988 when the effort started, now down to 22 in 2017. But already, cases are slowly going up: 2018 saw 33 cases and there have already been 65 this year. “In my opinion, there’s no doubt if we stopped the extra efforts we do for polio, we’d have a big resurgence,” Dr. Walter Orenstein, a consultant to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, told STAT’s Helen Branswell. Read more here.