WHO Director-General Welcomes 1.2 Billion USD for Polio Eradication

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom has welcomed contributions and pledges of 1.2 billion USD for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

The pledges were made at the Rotary Convention in Atlanta, USA, which is being attended by 32,000 Rotarians from around the world.

 

According to a press release of WHO,  Director-General Tedros said “it is humbling to see again the power of this incredible global partnership to generate funding to fight one of the world’s most horrible and debilitating diseases.”

The money pledged will help WHO fund disease surveillance in more than 70 countries and enable it to provide expertise to help countries vaccinate 450 million children per year against polio, it was learned.

It will also provide guidance on vaccination policy and participate in research into vaccine delivery methods, operational tactics and other approaches that can help accelerate eradication.

The highly contagious virus, which has paralyzed more than 350,000 children each year in more than 125 countries around the world during the past thirty years, has declined by more than 99.9 percent.

It is now found only in 3 countries, namely Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Although only five cases have been reported in 2017, serious challenges remain in the final steps to eradicate the virus: weak health systems struggle to vaccinate every child to ensure high enough protection within a community, compounded in some places by logistical impediments including remote locations, insecurity and even conflict, the press release noted.

“The new pledges show that donors understand the urgent need to support this mission right through to the very end,” Dr. Tedros said, adding that “we must finish the job properly to ensure that there is no chance of this terrible disease coming back.”