[Efforts to eradicate poliomyelitis in the Czech Republic]

The Czech Republic is one of the first countries where the paralytic form of poliomyelitis was eradicated by vaccination with the live attenuated vaccine. The effectiveness of vaccination was monitored every year up to 1992 by assessment of the immunity against polioviruses in a large group of sera from volunteers (cca 1500 subjects). This made it possible to improve occasional drops of immunity of the population, in particular in type 3. However, the absence of the paralytic form of poliomyelitis does not imply eradication of poliomyelitis which means elimination of wild polioviruses from the circulation in the population of a country. The circulation of wild polioviruses is monitored in the Czech Republic in cases of acute mild pareses, in particular, however, in waste waters of some large towns. A wild poliovirus was not detected so far. These investigations must started and be conducted up to the time when the Czech Republic will be granted the status of "country with eradicated poliomyelitis".