One thousand days until the target date for global poliomyelitis eradication

On April 6, only 1000 days will remain until the end of 2000, the target date established by the World Health Assembly in 1988 for the eradication of poliomyelitis and included as a year 2000 goal by the World Summit for Children in 1990. Progress toward this goal has included elimination of endemic polio from the Western Hemisphere in 1991 and apparent elimination of endemic transmission in 1997 from both the Western Pacific and European (except Turkey and Tajikistan) regions of the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, globally, reported polio cases have decreased >90% since 1988. These accomplishments underscore the feasibility of global eradication. All countries with endemic polio, except for Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Somalia, have conducted National Immunization Days, one of the key strategies advocated by WHO to achieve polio eradication.