New York Times: Philippines Declares Polio Outbreak After 19 Years Free of the Disease
“The Philippines on Thursday announced an outbreak of polio, 19 years after the World Health Organization declared the Southeast Asian country free of the infectious disease. Health Secretary Francisco Duque said government scientists have confirmed the ‘re-emergence of polio’ after one case in the southern province of Lanao del Sur and another suspected case of the disease. He blamed ‘poor immunization coverage,’ a lack of sanitation and proper hygiene, and poor surveillance by health workers as among the reasons the disease returned…” (Gutierrez, 9/18).

Additional coverage of the polio case and the epidemic declaration is available from Associated Press, Bloomberg, and Rappler.