Bull Pan Am Health Organ. 1993;27(3):287-96.
Because it appears that the last case of poliomyelitis caused by transmission of indigenous wild poliovirus occurred 2 years ago on 23 August 1991 in Peru, the challenge for PAHO is to develop a methodology of certification that will convince the rest of the world that the eradication of poliomyelitis in the Americas has been achieved. To that end, the guidelines set forth here allow for a rigorous and standardized evaluation of the certification process by objective experts. As it was during the campaign to eradicate smallpox, epidemiologic surveillance (of acute flaccid paralysis [AFP] in the case of polio) will be the most important component of the certification process. It must be demonstrated that when cases of AFP occur, they will be identified, reported, and investigated in a timely manner to insure that if wild poliovirus is present, it will be identified.
鉴于最后一例由本土野生脊髓灰质炎病毒传播导致的小儿麻痹症病例于1991年8月23日在秘鲁出现，距今已有两年，泛美卫生组织面临的挑战是制定一种认证方法，以使世界其他地区相信美洲已实现小儿麻痹症的根除。为此，这里阐述的指导方针允许由客观的专家对认证过程进行严格和标准化的评估。正如在根除天花运动期间一样，（就小儿麻痹症而言，对急性弛缓性麻痹[AFP]的）流行病学监测将是认证过程中最重要的组成部分。必须证明，当出现AFP病例时，能够及时识别、报告和调查这些病例，以确保如果存在野生脊髓灰质炎病毒，能够将其识别出来。
