© UNICEF/HQ91-0918/Roger Lemoyne New cases of polio paralysis drop to 2,979 world-wide. Accelerated immunizations reach a total of 550 million children, including 76 million covered in multi-country synchronized National Immunization Days in western Africa. WHO's Western Pacific region is certified free of polio. The Initiative's technical advisory group releases guidelines for laboratory containment, a condition for the certification of global eradication.