We evaluated Poland\u2019s surveillance system for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP)\u2014the core indicator used by the World Health Organization (WHO) to verify polio eradication\u2014from 1998 to 2002. Over this period, national surveillance quality improved significantly, meeting most WHO performance standards by 2001\u20132002. Virological testing of stool samples from 320 reported AFP cases and their close contacts identified 76 poliovirus strains; all were confirmed to be Sabin-like (vaccine-derived) strains rather than wild polioviruses. However, we identified marked regional disparities and frequent delays in hospital reporting across different provinces, warning that roughly 40% of Polish children still lived in areas without fully reliable surveillance coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the years prior, I contributed to drafting the national report for the WHO summarizing Poland’s poliomyelitis status\u2014documentation that led to WHO certifying Poland, along with the entire European Region, as polio-free. In this paper, published in the Polish journal \u201cEpidemiological Review\u201d, we concluded that maintaining polio-free status requires sustained effort, particularly in strengthening regional surveillance performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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