Unless urgent action is taken, the global benefit of polio eradication, virtually within sight for so many years, may slip beyond our grasp. In situations of conflict it is the poorest who are most likely to suffer. Many of us will hold this to be sufficient reason to act. However, given the nature of infectious disease, self-interest can also motivate political action, and given the recent rise in the anti-vaccination movements in many richer parts of the world, the population in general is now at greater risk. The global health emergency is focused on re-establishing polio vaccination programmes. This is valuable work and should be the immediate priority. However, the really significant lesson that we must learn is that global politics has an impact on global health. Fragile states and conflicts may seem far away, but ignoring them impacts upon us all.