Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication–African Region, 1997

In 1988, the World Health Assembly established the goal of eradicating poliomyelitis worldwide by 2000. To achieve this goal, the World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the implementation of specific strategies. Eradicating polio from the African continent is one of the remaining major challenges to achieving global eradication by the target date. This report summarizes progress in the African Region of WHO in 1997 with the implementation of polio eradication strategies, and suggests that polio eradication by 2000 remains a feasible target.