Japanese bilateral cooperation for the promotion of poliomyelitis eradication in China

In order to support poliomyelitis eradication in China, Japan launched project-type cooperation, The China Polio Control Project, in Shandong Province in 1990. The outbreaks of poliomyelitis in Shandong Province were successfully controlled by the OPV mass immunization campaigns began in 1991. Subsequently, AFP surveillance was established. The cooperation gradually expanded to include four neighboring provinces and subsequently five provinces in southern China. Hospital-based active surveillance has confirmed substantial improvement of the on-going AFP surveillance in most of the southern provinces. In view of the recent situation of global poliomyelitis eradication, China still needs to maintain high immunization coverage by poliovirus vaccine together with reliable surveillance system since it has been threatened by the importation of wild poliovirus from polio-endemic countries. At the same time, however, the use of inactivated poliovirus vaccine should be considered in the near future in order to prevent further occurrence of VAPP.