Key Points
- To outline the criteria, surveillance milestones, and procedural steps required to certify the regional eradication of wild poliovirus in the Western Hemisphere.
- Regional epidemiological surveillance coordinated by the Pan American Health Organization and partnering international health agencies beginning in 1985.
- Systematic monitoring and laboratory tracking of wild poliovirus isolations across member nations through August 1994.
- The last documented case of poliomyelitis linked to wild poliovirus isolation occurred in Peru in August 1991.
- A 3-year surveillance period elapsed with zero detected wild poliovirus cases across the Americas, satisfying prerequisites for certified eradication.
Structured PICO
PPopulationPopulations in the Americas (Western Hemisphere)
IInterventionPoliomyelitis eradication efforts
OOutcomeInterruption of wild poliovirus transmission and certification of eradication
The report summarizes the steps to certify the eradication of polio in the Americas, marking 3 years since the last case of wild poliovirus isolation in the region.