The polio virus is spreading rapidly in at least 10 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It has gained so much traction that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it to be a global public health emergency.

According to the WHO, the resurgence and spread of polio is largely attributed to the conflict that is ever present in the areas that are worst hit. The violence and unrest has created several barriers to things like vaccinations, proper housing, food and water, all of which leave people more susceptible to the virus when it is present.

The strongest foothold of the virus can be found in Pakistan, where the majority of the cases are being reported and where the Taliban has placed a ban on vaccines in North Waziristan in response to drone attacks. This ban drastically undermined the effective prevention system formally in place in Pakistan and the virus is now spreading among the vulnerable population. It has spread to neighboring countries as well.

Syria is another source of outbreak, as civil war makes the vaccine distribution system extremely ineffective. People displaced from their homes and living in camps struggle to gain access to the vaccines for their children

Both Pakistan and Syria, along with Cameroon, have been identified by the WHO as having allowed individuals infected with the virus to travel internationally, prompting transmission of the disease in other areas of the world. Other countries known to be experience a return of polio include Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.

There is still time and great potential for containment of this outbreak. Plenty of historical evidence suggests that negotiations can occur during conflict in which both sides allow for an organized and efficient vaccination program. Countries like Sudan and Afghanistan have been able to control outbreaks in the past based on the agreement between all sides that access to life-saving vaccines is a human right.