STATUS OF THE ERADICATION OF INDIGENOUS WILD POLIOMYELITIS IN THE PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-CHINA

A large nationwide outbreak occurred in 1989-1990 in China, in which n early 10,000 poliomyelitis cases were reported, After two rounds of or al poliovirus vaccine (OPV) supplemental activity in nearly every prov ince in the 1992-1993 winter season, no wild poliovirus was detected i n 1993 in 22 provinces in the middle of China that contained 86% of th e population. During the first national immunization days (NIDs) condu cted in December 1993 and January 1994, 83 million children 0-47 month s of age were immunized. In 1994, wild poliovirus was identified in on ly 6 of 2397 children with stool specimens tested. After a second NID in December 1994 and January 1995, no wild poliovirus was detected in 1995 despite a very high level of virus surveillance. In summary, doub le-round mass supplemental OPV immunizations in children 0-3 years old in two consecutive winters eliminated wild poliovirus from 23% of the world's population (1.2 billion people).