Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication–Eastern Africa, 1988-1995

In 1988, the World Health Assembly established the goal of eradicating poliomyelitis by the year 2000. Commitment to this goal and to the strategies that have proven effective in other regions was reaffirmed in 1995 by the African Regional Health Committee and in 1996 by heads of state attending the Organization of African Unity Summit. These strategies include 1) achieving and maintaining high vaccination coverage among children aged < 1 year with at least three doses of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) through routine vaccination services; 2) establishing effective epidemiologic and laboratory surveillance systems, with examination of stool specimens from suspected cases of polio; and 3) providing supplemental vaccination through National Immunization Days (NIDs) to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission. This report summarizes progress toward polio eradication since 1988 in the seven countries (Burundi, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) of the Eastern Africa Epidemiological Block (EAEB) of the African Region (AFR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) (Figure 1). Implementation of these polio-eradication strategies is proceeding rapidly; however, overall surveillance capacity in the EAEB is not yet adequate and requires strengthening.