ERADICATION OF WILD POLIOVIRUS FROM THE AMERICA - ACUTE FLACCID PARALYSIS SURVEILLANCE, 1988-1995

In May 1985, the Pan American Health Organization proposed the goal of interruption of wild poliovirus transmission in the Western Hemispher e. An important component of the polio eradication strategy was conduc ting surveillance for cases of acute flaccid paralysis. Reported cases were thoroughly investigated, including the collection of stool sampl es for testing for the presence of wild poliovirus. The last patient w ith poliomyelitis due to wild poliovirus in the Americas had onset of paralysis on 23 August 1991 in Peru. Since then, >9000 cases of acute flaccid paralysis have been reported and thoroughly investigated; none has been confirmed as paralytic poliomyelitis due to wild poliovirus. On 29 September 1994, the International Commission for the Certificat ion of Poliomyelitis Eradication declared the Americas to be polio-fre e.