Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication–Turkey, 1994-1997

In 1989, as part of the global poliomyelitis eradication initiative, Turkey adopted the goal of eliminating polio by 2000; since then, substantial progress has been made toward achieving this objective. Turkey is a priority country for the global polio eradication initiative because of its large population (1996 population: 60 million), strategic location between Europe and Asia, and proximity to countries with endemic polio. This report summarizes progress during 1994-1997 in Turkey toward implementing the four polio eradication strategies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), reviews the cluster of polio cases in 1997, and suggests that recent poliovirus transmission might have resulted from suboptimal vaccination coverage in some areas of Turkey.