Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication–Egypt, 1993

Since 1990, the Ministry of Health in Egypt has directed efforts toward achieving poliomyelitis eradication by the end of 1994. To achieve this goal, the Egyptian Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) has progressively implemented each of four World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended strategies: 1) increasing and sustaining routine coverage with oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV); 2) conducting National Immunization Days (NIDs); 3) developing surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), including laboratory confirmation of cases; and 4) instituting “mopping-up” vaccination (i.e., house-to-house administration of two doses of OPV at an interval of 4-6 weeks to all children aged < 3 years who reside in areas where risk for wild poliovirus transmission is highest). This report summarizes the poliomyelitis eradication effort in Egypt based on a program review conducted during November 20-30, 1993, by the Egyptian Ministry of Health; Cairo University; the High Institute for Public Health in Alexandria, Egypt; WHO; Rotary International; and CDC.