Polio anywhere is a risk everywhere.

The 2014 diagnosis of poliomyelitis-like illness in a middle-aged Victorian man on his return to Australia after working in the Horn of Africa, highlights the possibility of poliovirus being imported into any country while the virus circulates anywhere.1 This possibility is also illustrated by Australia’s last confirmed incursion of poliovirus. In 2007 a Melbourne university student was confirmed with polio virus infection after returning from a visit to Pakistan.2 Thus the article by Martin et al in this issue of CDI is a timely reminder of the importance of: maintaining high childhood immunisation coverage; encouraging travellers into and out of Australia to check their immunisation status against polio; and ensuring strong surveillance throughout the health system for polio-like illness.3,4