Could the world see a resurgence of polio? Experts fear a cautionary tale in measles

As measles case counts have exploded around the globe this year, public health officials doggedly trying to rid the world of another disease scourge have watched the numbers rise with some concern.

That disease is polio, and for the people who have long worked to eradicate it, the resurgence of measles has become a cautionary tale — both useful and unsettling — of why the polio campaign must push on across the finish line. Failure to do so could have dire consequences.

“In my opinion, there’s no doubt if we stopped the extra efforts we do for polio, we’d have a big resurgence,” said Dr. Walter Orenstein, associate director of Emory University’s Vaccine Center and a consultant to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

The effort to eradicate polio is