ATLANTA - Fewer than 600 cases of polio were reported worldwide last year, and global eradication of the disease is in sight, U.S. health officials said Thursday. <br>
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 537 cases were reported in 2001, with 473 confirmed in laboratories. In 2000, 2,971 cases were reported, and 719 were confirmed in labs. <br>
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Polio is now endemic in just 10 countries, and only three India, Pakistan and Nigeria are considered major reservoirs. Nations across the world have sought to eliminate the disease by intensifying vaccination campaigns. <br>
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Polio usually strikes children under 5. It can cripple the spinal cord and brain, causing paralysis and sometimes death. It is transmitted through food or water contaminated by the fecal matter of an infected person. <br>
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The Americas were declared polio-free in 1994. <br>
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The CDC and the World Health Organization are working on a plan for how to keep polio from returning after it is eradicated. Those plans will include a global strategy for safely scaling back vaccination efforts.
