The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Sunday that it will donate $1.2 billion to the global polio eradication effort.
Just a few decades ago, polio paralyzed tens of thousands of children annually in dozens of countries around the world, but now the virus is endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The success of eradicating the virus is due in part to the nearly $5 billion the Gates Foundation has donated to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
“Polio eradication is within reach, but so far, the disease remains a threat,” Bill Gates said in a statement. I will.”
Dangerous virus ‘community spread’ possibility increases fear of polio in New York
Despite our success in fighting the virus, poliovirus samples were detected in New York wastewater this year. This summer, his 20-year-old man in Rockland County contracted the virus and was paralyzed.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul last month declared a state of emergency and urged residents to get vaccinated.
Earlier this year, polio was also detected in wastewater in London.
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The Global Polio Eradication Initiative will require $4.8 billion by 2026, with the goal of vaccinating 370 million children.
Melinda French Gates said in a statement: “The fight against polio has played an important role in not only protecting children from polio but also in strengthening health systems.