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When were the first recorded polio epidemics in Norway and Sweden?
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A health care worker giving a polio vaccine to a child in Katsina state, Nigeria, 2014.
The first recorded polio epidemics in Norway and Sweden occurred in the late 19th century:
- Norway: An outbreak of at least 14 cases was recorded near Oslo in 1868.1
- Sweden: An outbreak of 13 cases was recorded in the northern part of the country in 1881.1
These early occurrences were part of a broader trend where polio began to emerge as an epidemic disease in industrialized nations that had experienced significant improvements in hygiene.1