Children
with
paralytic
poliomyelitis
may
suffer
a
lifelong
physical
and
social
handicap
owing
to
the
severe
neurological
sequelae
of
this
disease.
Backed
by
worldwide
development
of
the
Expanded
Program
on
Immunization
(EPI),
the
World
Health
Organization
(WHO)
launched
a
global
initiative
to
eradicate
poliomyelitis
in
1988.
Among
the
six
regions
of
WHO,
the
Pan
American
Health
Organization
(PAHO)
was
certified
first
as
having
achieved
interruption
of
wild
poliovirus
transmission
(1994):
indigenous
poliomyelitis
was
last
detected
in
Peru
in
1991.
Poliomyelitis
eradication
is
a
global
initiative
for
infectious
disease
control
second
to
the
smallpox
eradication
effort
and
of
tremendous
benefit
to
the
health
of
human
beings.
In
China,
the
incidence
of
poliomyelitis
decreased
markedly
by
the
1980's
following
development
of
the
EPI.
However,
the
outbreaks
recurred
starting
in
1989:
more
than
10,000
cases
were
reported
nationwide
by
the
end
of
1991.
In
1993,
coordinated
National
Immunization
Days
(NIDs)
consisting
of
two
rounds
of
oral
polio
vaccine
(OPV)
immunization
sessions
began
targeting
about
80
million
children.
This
program,
on
a
smaller
scale,
has
been
continued
as
Subnational
Immunization
Days
(SNIDs)
since
1996.
Acute
flaccid
paralysis
(AFP)
surveillance,
i.e.,
case
investigation
and
stool
specimen
collection,
was
also
initiated
in
the
early
1990's
and
has
recently
achieved
excellent
nationwide
coverage.
The
national
laboratory
in
Beijing
is
responsible
for
virological
diagnosis
and
forms
networks
with
all
31
provincial
laboratories.
All
poliovirus
specimens
isolated
in
the
provinces
have
been
sent
to
the
national
laboratory
for
intratypic
differentiation.
Poliomyelitis
outbreaks
have
rapidly
subsided
since
the
introduction
of
the
NIDs;
the
last
6
indigenous
cases
were
detected
in
1994.
Four
cases
associated
with
wild
poliovirus
infections
detected
in
Yunnan
province
during
1995
and
1996
were
those
imported
from
Myanmar.
Five
years
have
passed
since
the
last
endemic
poliomyelitis
cases
were
detected
in
China.
No
cases
have
been
detected
in
the
other
countries
of
the
WHO
Western
Pacific
Region
(WPR)
since
1997,
when
the
last
7
cases
were
identified
in
Cambodia.
The
WPR
plans
to
apply
for
certification
of
poliomyelitis-free
status
in
this
region
to
the
Regional
Certification
Commission
in
early
2000.
Poliomyelitis
eradication
in
China
has
strongly
been
supported
by
the
WHO,
the
JICA
project,
and
the
Center
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC)
of
the
USA.