Until recently, Egypt was listed among them, but reported cases have dwindled to three last year from nine in 1999 and 626 in 1991. No case has come to light this year.
National immunization vaccinates all children under four against polio.
The last round of the campaign vaccinated 7.2 million youngsters nationwide, said Abdel-Rahman. Wild virus transmission is mainly confined to the south. The poliomyelitis virus invades the central nervous system, spreads along nerve fibers and destroys nerve cells, paralyzing muscles in a condition known as acute flaccid paralysis. Doctors must immediately report cases of flaccid paralysis to the Health Ministry, which will then vaccinate anywhere from 10,000 to one million children around the suspected case. Abdel-Rahman said routine immunization coverage now exceeded 95 percent in Egypt.