THREE POLIO-ENDEMIC COUNTRIES REMAIN IN ASIA

The world's success in eradicating polio now depends on a handful of countries, including Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, according to the independent oversight body of the UN-backed effort to wipe out the sometimes fatal disease. Additionally, a further $440 million is needed over the next two years for victory.

The Advisory Committee on Polio Eradication (ACPE) advised polio-endemic countries to set realistic target dates for stopping transmission, noting that improvements in immunizing all children in these areas have been only incremental, and that these countries will take more than 12 months to end polio.

The ACPE oversees the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by the World Health Organization, the UN Children's Fund, national governments, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many private-sector foundations.

Global polio eradication efforts reduced the number of cases from 350,000 in 1988 to 1,403 as of Oct. 10, of which 1,300 are in countries where transmission has never been stopped. For 2006, a further $50 million is urgently needed to ensure that planned immunization activities through to the rest of the year can proceed, according to the UN. Additional funding of $390 million is required for 2007-2008, of which $100 million is needed for activities in the first half of 2007.