EU and Gates Foundation Launch Billion-Euro Plan to Eradicate Polio

The European Union and Gates Foundation Partner with a Billion-Euro Plan to End Polio

If successful, this will be a significant milestone in global health, marking the second time in history that a human disease is eradicated, following the successful eradication of smallpox. The European Union, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the European Investment Bank (EIB), is leading a groundbreaking billion-euro campaign to eliminate polio.

Building on its success in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic through extensive vaccination efforts and health interventions, the EU is now dedicated to putting an end to poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio. This highly contagious viral disease mainly affects children under the age of 5.

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A Pioneering Investment for Global Health

The initiative involves a €1.1bn fund that will be utilized to strengthen healthcare systems in affected countries. Through collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccines and medicines will be deployed where they are most needed.

“Global cooperation has helped us put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it will help us get rid of polio once and for all,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

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Fighting Polio: Facts and Progress

Polio is transmitted through person-to-person contact and is primarily spread through the faecal-oral route. It multiplies in the intestine and eventually invades the nervous system, leading to paralysis. Since 1988, there has been a remarkable reduction of over 99% in wild polio cases worldwide, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to just 6 reported cases in 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

While two strains of wild poliovirus were eradicated in 1999 and 2020, endemic wild poliovirus type 1 remains a challenge in two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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“Today we are united to write the final chapter in the history of polio,” stated Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank (EIB). “This initiative will be a milestone in scaling up immunization and strengthening healthcare, ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances, can be protected against polio.”

A Shared Vision for a Polio-Free World

If successful, this ambitious campaign led by the European Union will mark the second time in history that a human disease is eradicated. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expressed his optimism about achieving this milestone, stating, “Thanks to medical innovations, the world eradicated one human disease – smallpox. Today we’re on the verge of ending another – wild poliovirus. I am committed to ensuring that no child, anywhere in the world, faces this awful disease. I am also optimistic that we will eradicate polio once and for all and make health innovations more accessible for everyone, particularly those in the poorest countries.”

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