"The number of polio cases worldwide reached a record low in 2012, giving experts confidence that the disease can finally be eradicated, according to presentations made at" the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in Atlanta on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports (11/13). "The number of polio cases around the world that have been reported this year as of October dropped to 177, down from 502 cases as of October 2011," and "for the first time ever, no new cases were reported in previously unaffected countries, meaning the geographic spread of polio has slowed," the Los Angeles Times' "Booster Shots" blog writes (Bardin, 11/13).