On 5 May, the World Helath Organization (WHO) released a statement declaring the recent international spread of wild polio virus – which has been exported from Pakistan into Afghanistan, from Syria into Iraq and from Cameroon into Equatorial Guinea in 2014 – to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In order to prevent further spread, WHO has issued Temporary Recommendations under international health regulations – travellers to Afghanistan, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria are advised to obtain a booster dose of polio vaccine if they have not vaccinated in the last 12 months and are either travelling to areas with poor hygiene or likely to be in close proximity to cases of the virus.