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Provisional Agenda
Polio Facts

Poliomyelitis and its symptoms

Photo: Eight-year-old polio victim Prom Lin with his sisters in the village of Okoi, Cambodia.

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Between five and ten per cent of people infected with polio die when their breathing muscles are paralyzed.

Persons at risk of polio: Polio mainly affects children under three years of age.

Prevention of polio: As there is no cure for polio, the best treatment is preventive. A few drops of a powerful vaccine will protect a child for life.

Polio caseload: At the end of 1999 there were 7 094 reported polio cases. Recognizing that not every case is reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that no more than 20 000 cases occurred in 1999. Tens of thousands more children are infected with the virus; while they do not suffer paralysis, they can infect other children.

More polio facts

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative
History and progress to date; strategies for polio eradication; the coalition supporting the initiative.

Countries at Risk of Polio
The 30 remaining polio-infected countries; ten highest priority countries.

Challenges Faced in Polio Eradication
The three main challenges: access, funding, political commitment.

Impact of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
What has been achieved so far.

Future Benefits of Polio Eradication
Savings, capacity building and benefits for children.

Maps  (opens in a new window)
Polio eradication progress, 1988-99; 10 geographic priorities; poliovirus in India; West and Central Africa NIDs.

Financial charts
(PDF format--you will need the Acrobat Reader to view)
Projected contributions and shortfall; status of financial resource requirements; past contributions received.