Global Eradication of Poliomyelitis and Measles: Another Quiet Revolution In September 1985, the Pan American Health Or-ganization (PAHO) targeted poliomyelitis for

achieve this eradication, a strategy aimed at rapidly interrupting chains of transmission was implement-ed; methods included routine administration of oral poliomyelitis vaccine and national immunization days. The national immunization days, along with surveillance for persons with acute flaccid paralysis and laboratory tests to detect wild poliovirus in the stools of these persons, proved to be key compo-nents of the strategy to eradicate poliomyelitis. An-other key component was house-to-house mop-up operations done to administer oral poliomyelitis vaccine to persons in the few municipalities in which poliomyelitis was still prevalent (2). In September 1994, the International Commis-sion for the Certification of Poliomyelitis in the Americas certified that transmission of wild polio-virus had been interrupted in the western hemi-sphere (3). By October 1996, more than 5 years had passed since the last confirmed case of paralytic poliomyelitis caused by wild poliovirus was detected on 23 August 1991 in Peru. This is an historically significant event in the annals of public health. The eradication of poliomyelitis from the Amer-icas was made possible by great commitment and allocation of natural resources on the part of the governments of all countries involved, a sound epi-demiologic strategy, and well-coordinated interna-tional support to aid national efforts. Under the leadership of PAHO, such organizations as UNICE