Endemic Polio Purged From Two More Nations
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From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Egypt and Niger were declared free of endemic polio Wednesday by the World Health Organization, bringing the goal of eradicating the paralyzing disease worldwide a step nearer.
Egypt, where polio has been traced back 5,000 years, has had no cases for more than a year, and the nine reported in Niger were due to imports of the virus from neighboring Nigeria. This leaves a record low of four countries -- Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- where the disease, which can paralyze a child within hours, is endemic.
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