Endemic Polio Purged From Two More Nations

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.