Progress Toward Eradicating Poliomyelitis from the Americas

The following case definitions for paralytic poliomyelitis have been implemented by PAHO: A suspected case is any acute onset of paralysis in a person less than 15 years of age for any reason other than severe trauma, or paralytic illness in a person of any age in which polio is suspected. The classification of a suspected case is temporary; within 48 hours of notification, the case should be reclassified as "probable" or "discarded." A probable case is a suspected case with acute flaccid paralysis and no other cause that can be immediately identified. The classification of a probable case is also temporary, and within 10 weeks of its onset the case should be reclassified as "confirmed" or "discarded." A probable case is classified as confirmed if there is: 1) laboratory confirmation (wild virus grown from stool or a greater than or equal to 4-fold rise in poliovirus neutralization antibody titer between acute and convalescent serum specimens); 2) epidemiologic linkage to a probable or confirmed case; 3) residual paralysis 60 days after onset; 4) death; or 5) lack of follow-up of the case.

Does not include a wild poliovirus type 1 isolate from a patient in Canada.3

Kim-Farley RJ, Bart KJ, Schonberger LB, et al.  Poliomyelitis in the USA: virtual elimination of disease caused by wild virus . Lancet 1984;;2:1315-7.

Risi JB Jr.  The control of poliomyelitis in Brazil . Rev Infect Dis 1984;;6( (suppl 2) ):S400-3.

Health and Welfare Canada.  A case of paralytic poliomyelitis—Ontario . Canada Dis Weekly Rep 1988;;14:229-30.

World Health Assembly. Global eradication of poliomyelitis by the year 2000 . Geneva: World Health Organization, 1988;. (Resolution WHA41.28).

Hinman AR, Foege WH, de Quadros CA, Patriarca PA, Orenstein WA, Brink EW.  The case for global eradication of poliomyelitis . Bull WHO 1987;;65:835-40.