Progress toward global eradication of poliomyelitis, 2001

From the initiation of the global poliomyelitis eradication initiative in 1988 through 2001, the number of countries where polio is endemic decreased from 125 to 10, and the number of reported polio cases decreased by >99% from an estimated 350,000 to <1,000. Wild type 2 poliovirus has not been detected worldwide since October 1999. The American and Western Pacific Regions of the World Health Organization (WHO) have been certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus. Current challenges to global polio eradication efforts include ongoing intense transmission in northern India, continued importations of wild poliovirus into polio-free areas, and the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). This report summarizes global progress in polio eradication during 2001 and the current status of the initiative.