In May 1996, in the Region of the Americas, over 4 years had elapsed since the last confirmed case of paralytic poliomyelitis due to wild polio virus had been detected, on August: 23, 1991, in a 2-year-old boy, in Peru. This fact is of historic significance in the annals of public health, and the successes experienced in the Americas served as the template for the launching of the global eradication of poliomyelitis by the World Health Assembly, in May 1988. During 1995, there were less than 10,000 cases of polio reported worldwide, the lowest number of cases ever reported, and the target of global eradication by the year 2000 is well within grasp. The strategies being implemented worldwide for the achievement of polio eradication are based on those that succeeded in the Region of the Americas. Though endemic countries are contributing 80% of the funds for polio eradication, an additional US $500 million is needed over the next 5 years from external collaborating partners to eliminate this virus and to eradicate polio.
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