Poliomyelitis surveillance: the compass for eradication.

Effective disease surveillance is a key strategy of the global polio eradication initiative. In an effort to strengthen the quality of polio surveillance as a prerequisite to achieving and certifying eradication, surveillance assessments were conducted in 28 countries in the World Health Organization African, Eastern Mediterranean, and European Regions from 1992 to 1995 using a standard protocol and evaluation guidelines. Six general recommendations were made: Use surveillance data for public health decision-making and action, improve timeliness of information exchange and dissemination, standardize the data collected, ensure adequate surveillance infrastructure, improve local data analysis, and enhance teamwork among surveillance partners. The experience gained will position the Expanded Programme on Immunization to address the challenges of disease prevention in the 21st century.