Syrian refugees could bring polio to Europe, experts warn

Two German public health experts have warned that Europe could be in danger of an outbreak of polio brought by Syrian refugees.

Martin Eichner and Stefan Brockman explained in a Lancet report that in European countries where vaccination coverage was low, such as Ukraine, Bosnia, and Austria, polio could be introduced back into the European Union from people fleeing the conflict in Syria.1

The director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Marc Sprenger, agreed. He told the …