A drop of tension.

This editorial introduces a series of articles on lessons for health communication found in the experience of the campaign to eradicate polio. It focuses on the inevitable tensions and contradictions faced by the campaign against polio as well as other major health initiatives. It argues that communication has been an essential tool for navigating the complex negotiations, compromises, and changes in direction needed in the polio eradication campaign and that the lessons learned from the polio experience are applicable to many other health interventions.