Already, Pakistan is responsible for the recent appearanceof wild poliovirus in Egypt.

Thanks to dynamic measures, Turkmenistan was awarded a certificate in 2002 for halting the circulation of indigenous wild poliovirus.

Indeed, despite progress in 2012, we have not been ablefully to interrupt the spread of the poliovirus in Pakistan, owingprimarily to obstacles affecting program implementation andmanagement.

Following the isolation of wild poliovirus from the sewerage system in the Rafah district of the Gaza Strip, a mop-up operation was conducted in October-November 2002 where 28,998 children were given the oral poliomyelitis vaccine.

In October 2000, the WHO Regional Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication in the Western Pacific Region declared that transmission of indigenous wild poliovirus in the Western Pacific Region, including Hong Kong, had been interrupted.

The Philippines was declared polio-free during the Kyoto meeting on Poliomyelitis Eradication in the Western Pacific Region in October 2000. Despite this, the Philippines remains vigilant in protecting its citizens from risks of acquiring poliovirus from other countries.

Measures for sustained vigilance include strengthening of the surveillance system and capacity for rapid response to outside contamination, adequate laboratory containment of wild poliovirus and continuing routine immunization until global certification is achieved.

2008 was a difficult year for polio eradication efforts since transmission of the wild poliovirus is unlikely to be interrupted in any of the four endemic countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan) by the end of 2008.

With poliovirus now endemic in just three remainingcountries, we are already beginning to use the momentum that hascarried eradication efforts so far to broaden the scope of routineimmunization to reach more of the poorest children.

Those early experiences of children I knew contractingdisease, especially the poliovirus that is so visibly impairing,shaped my views on the immense value of good health and the powerof vaccines.