The Eradication of Poliomyelitis in Spain: Projects, Obstacles, Achievements, Realities

he main aim of our paper is to provide a historical approach to the complex process undertaken in Spain to achieve the official WHO certificate of polio eradication in 2002, within the framework of the initiatives launched in the WHO European Region. At the time of the first meeting of the European Regional Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication in 1996, the epidemiological situation and levels of vaccination cover (over 90%) enabled Spain, like other countries, to ensure compliance with the conditions set by the World Health Organization. This showed that the country, at the end of the twentieth century, had achieved high public health standards, which is remarkable …