Progress toward global eradication of poliomyelitis, 1997

In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted the goal of eradicating poliomyelitis by 2000. Substantial progress toward this goal has been reported from many areas of the world. Since 1988, all but four countries with endemic polio have conducted National Immunization Days (NIDs), and most countries have established sensitive surveillance systems for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). This report updates progress toward global polio eradication in 1997 based on data available from the World Health Organization (WHO) as of May 18, 1998.