Two years after being on the brink of eradication,
polio has spread to at least 10 countries in Asia, Africa
and the Middle East, prompting the World Health
Organization to declare a global public-health emergency.
In Pakistan, the nexus of the new outbreak, rumors
abound that immunization can cause infertility or worse,
and local Taliban groups have obstructed anti-polio
workers. The number of cases in the country rose 60%
last year.
Last year, polio emerged in Syria for the first time
in 15 years; experts blame the ongoing civil war. Other
conflict-torn countries, like the Central African Republic,
are considered to be at risk.
In an-effort to thwart the disease, WHO has
recommended that all residents traveling from Pakistan,
Syria and Cameroon be vaccinated. Whether that’s
enforceable remains to be seen.
The Explainer: How Polio Became a Global Health Crisis. Time, May 19, 2014. p. 8
The word “worse” (l. 6) is the irregular comparative of
