News Category: Financing and donors
In the last stages of polio eradication, a sensitive surveillance system that can detect every single poliovirus is indispensable to find it in its last hiding places. In Pakistan, surveillance for cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), subsequent testing and supplementary environmental sampling from the environment are informing the progress made towards eradication.
The poliovirus has proven to be a constant and resilient foe, continuing to show up in several areas of Pakistan. However, transmission is the lowest it has ever been. So far in 2016, fewer children have been paralysed by polio than at any other year in history, with the virus limited to a few areas in just three countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Pakistan has made strong progress in identifying and vaccinating missed children in the country’s most challenging areas, resulting in historical low numbers of cases this year. This remarkable achievement is especially visible in the core reservoir districts where persistent transmission has been the norm.
Training surveillance officers
The training of dedicated surveillance officers is key to ensuring Pakistan’s surveillance system is built strongly for eradication. A recent training for 32 district surveillance officers from across Pakistan highlighted the importance of effective AFP and environmental surveillance in tracking down the virus. World Health Organization’s National Surveillance Coordinator, Dr Tahir Malik said the training is essential to ensure surveillance officers down to the district level are highly skilled in identifying and investigating cases. “This is critical not only to orient new surveillance officers but also for old officers to bring alignment in surveillance procedures”. He further explained, “After training we expect from the participants to fully understand poliovirus epidemiology, AFP surveillance, but also in detail its components and mechanics in Pakistan.”
“The training, which also covered specifics on the role of laboratory, surveillance indicators, healthy children sampling and environmental surveillance, aims to bring all officers on one page in terms of programme priorities,” Dr Tahir said.
Constantly improving
Supported by contributions from the Canadian Government, the training is part of the programmes surveillance improvement plan that was recommended by the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for Polio Eradication in Pakistan, to place a greater emphasis on disease surveillance including scaling up the workforce of dedicated staff, realigning environmental surveillance sites and ensuring surveillance targets are met by including private and informal health sectors, pushing for timely investigation, and reprioritizing reporting sites to focus on silent UCs and Tehsils.
The Chairman of the TAG Jean-Marc Olive, who was visiting Pakistan during the training, addressed the Surveillance officers from Punjab, Balochistan, FATA and KP. “Make the paediatrician your friend, talk continuously to the community, walk, move, sensitise, orient, visit facilities and care providers. Surveillance is not beautiful graphs on a laptop, it is hard field work,” he said. “Be proud of what you do for the children of Pakistan.”
The 2016-2017 National Emergency Action Plan for polio eradication also highlights the intensification of surveillance as a critical activity so that virus signal are picked up as early as possible and response initiated rapidly and aggressively. In response, the programme is working to engage private clinics, traditional healers and pharmacies to make it more likely that all cases of polio will be reported and immediate case response can be launched when needed.
Environmental surveillance
In addition, there has been an increase in the work being done for environmental surveillance. The number of sites that test for presence of the virus in sewage water has been increased to 43 sites across Pakistan’s highest risk areas and environmental samples are being taken more frequently, which is proving to support the programme to detect and track the virus, a critical step as the country edges closer to stopping transmission.
Leaving no stone unturned
Once Pakistan is able to demonstrate that no poliovirus is present, both from AFP surveillance and supplementary environmental surveillance, for three consecutive years, the country will be declared polio-free. Until that time Pakistan will continue to leave no stone unturned in pursuit of the virus and no child unvaccinated and vulnerable.
The award honors organizations that show philanthropic commitment and leadership through financial support, innovation, encouragement of others, and involvement in public affairs.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from the AFP, which gives us even more reason to celebrate during our Foundation’s centennial year,” says Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Kalyan Banerjee. “The continued strong support of Rotary members will help us keep our promise of a polio-free world for all children and enable the Foundation to carry out its mission of advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace. We look forward to another 100 years of Rotary members taking action to make communities better around the world.”
The world is in a better position than ever to finish the job on polio. To bring us over the finish line, Global Citizens, engaged citizens from all around the world, have signed petitions, tweeted, emailed, and even called their leaders asking them to fill the funding gap needed to achieve full eradication by 2019. In the lead up to this year’s Global Citizen Festival held on 24 September, individual Global Citizens took 134 470 actions to end polio leading Prime Minister Muscat of Malta and Prime Minister Bettel of Luxembourg to announce new funding commitments of $30,000 and at least 2 million euros until 2019, respectively, for polio eradication.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also encouraged Global Citizens to email world leaders on polio; instead, they took it one step further and called him, by the thousands. He received the message and responded to Global Citizens (and Rihanna) in a video message, showcased at the Global Citizen Festival, with Usher:
“Lately my office has been flooded with phone calls and tweets from many of you. Thanks Rihanna! I’ve heard your voices loud and clear on a whole range of issues – from supporting the eradication of polio, to ensuring every girl everywhere has the chance to go to school. Canada has long supported efforts to fight polio, which is now 99.9 % eliminated. And we will be a strong partner through to the end. Thank you for keeping these issues on our global agenda. Keep calling, keep tweeting, keep lighting up our switchboards. We’re listening, and we’re taking action. You’ve shown to the world that change starts with you. Together, we will end it for good.” – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Global Citizens are holding Prime Minister Trudeau to his promise. They will continue to call on Canada, UK, and other countries to fully fund efforts to end polio. Together, we can make polio the second disease to be eradicated within our lifetimes.
About Global Citizen: Global Citizen is a campaigning and advocacy organization that is catalyzing a movement to end extreme poverty by 2030. As one of its longest running campaigns, Global Citizen has campaigned to bring about the end of polio by raising public awareness and campaigning towards government funding of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. To learn more: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/
One year into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, global leaders reconfirmed their full commitment to implementing ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all, including ending polio.
Health Ministers and high representatives of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety gathered in Kobe on 11 – 12 September, in continuation of the G7 Ise-Shima Summit in May to address major global health challenges.
In a statement released following the meeting, the leaders called for commitments from all stakeholders in the polio eradication programme to ensure that every last child is reached with polio vaccines. They particularly emphasised the need to fill the programme’s funding gap in order to ensure the achievement of this global good.
As well highlighting the importance of going above and beyond to reach children even in the most challenging environments, the G7 leaders also looked to the future, stating that polio assets have the potential to contribute to strengthening health systems if transitioned to other programmes once polio eradication has been achieved.
Read the full statement here.
Polio tulips
In 2013, a group of Dutch Rotarians began selling boxes of tulip bulbs, with proceeds going to EndPolioNow, as part of Rotary’s fight against polio. In that year alone, tulips found their way to Rotarians across the Netherlands. Since then the tulip initiative has spread, with 4500 boxes sold in 2015, raising more than €45,000. This was tripled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation resulting in a donation of $144,727 for the End Polio Now fund.
In 2016 the campaign has committed to committed to selling at least one box of Rotary tulip bulbs per Rotarian in the Netherlands, with over 18,000 members in the country. The campaign has also grown to become international in scope, with tulips sold across, Germany, Switzerland and the United States of America.
Rotary’s work
The EndPolioNow tulip campaign is just one example of efforts made by Rotarians across the world to end polio for good. Through its PolioPlus programme, established in 1985, Rotary was the first to have the vision of a polio-free world. More than one million Rotary members have volunteered their time and personal resources to polio eradication in nearly every country. Rotary members also provide valuable field support during National Immunization Days through social mobilization and by administering the oral polio vaccine to children.
It is thanks to the dedicated work of Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners such as Rotary International and Rotarians across the globe that we are now closer than ever to eradicating polio for good.
Learn more about Rotary’s work to eradicate polio here.
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provided more than 116 million units of polio vaccine for Pakistani children between January 2014 and the end of May 2016 through the Emirates Polio Campaign. This commitment has played an important role in the progress seen in Pakistan in recent years, as highlighted by the recent meeting of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Islamabad.
In May, Rotary recognized five members of Congress for their support of the humanitarian service organization’s top priority to eradicate polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still paralyzes children in parts of the world today.
The following lawmakers were presented with Rotary’s Polio Eradication Champion Award during an event at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on May 11, 2016: Sen. Roy Blunt (MO.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR.), Sen. Brian Schatz (HI), Rep. Tom Cole (OK), and Rep. Dave Reichert (WA).
These five lawmakers serve as advocates for securing U.S. government funding for polio eradication activities through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As key allies, they influence both their constituents at home and congressional colleagues to support a polio-free world.
As the world’s largest funder of polio eradication, the U.S. government has contributed more than $2.8 billion since the mid-1980s. To support the final push to end polio, Rotary and its partners are asking for $234 million in U.S. funding in 2017 through the CDC and USAID.
Rotary established the Polio Eradication Champion Award in 1995 to recognize heads of state, health agency leaders and others who have made a significant contribution to polio eradication.
Past recipients of the Rotary award include Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany; Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and 43 current members of the 114th Congress previously recognized by Rotary as Champions.
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Last week, global political commitment to eradicating polio was affirmed at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. During the polio agenda item, member states discussed progress made in the last year and the remaining hurdles that stand in the way of polio eradication.
In her opening address to the WHA, Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of WHO, said polio eradication has never been so close to the finish line. “During the short span of 2 weeks in April, 155 countries successfully switched from trivalent to bivalent oral polio vaccine, marking the largest coordinated vaccine withdrawal in history. I thank you and your country teams for this marvellous feat,” she said.
Member states reviewed the latest global epidemiology, noting the strong progress made across Africa with no case of wild poliovirus in approaching two years. Delegates from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the final remaining polio endemic countries, outlined the steps they are taking to ensure that transmission is interrupted as a matter of urgency. With fewer missed children than ever before and just 74 cases across the two in 2015, achieving eradication has never appeared to be such an achievable target.
Many member states spoke to reaffirm their commitments to fulfilling the objectives of the resolution passed at the last WHA to commit to ending polio once and for all. Michel Zaffran, Director of Polio Eradication at WHO, stated that strong progress had been made against all four objectives of the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan.
Delegates also commended the historic achievement of the switch, warning that shortages of the inactivated polio vaccine and potential outbreaks of type 2 vaccine-derived polioviruses would be some of the major challenges of the coming year. They also expressed appreciation for the global contingency plans put in place to adequately manage the risks associated with the supply shortage, notably the availability of the stockpile of monovalent oral polio vaccine type 2.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, supported the interjections of several member states highlighting the importance of ramping up transition planning in countries to prepare for the end of the polio infrastructure after eradication. “To be sustainable, the decision on which polio assets to sustain must be fully led and driven by countries themselves, based on national ownership, national plans and investments,” said the Gavi spokesperson.
Rotary international spoke to affirm that their 1.2 million volunteers worldwide remain fully committed to polio eradication. “We have three key challenges remaining,” said the Rotarian speaker. “First, we have to interrupt polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Second, we must avoid complacency. An additional US $1.5 billion is needed through 2019 to sustain high levels of immunity, repeatedly reaching more than 400,000,000 children in up to 60 countries and carrying out high quality surveillance to protect progress. Finally we must fully leverage the physical and intellectual assets of polio eradication so that they can benefit broader public health priorities.”
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© Pablo Berlanga
The Government of Canada announced a Can$19.9 million contribution to Nigeria’s polio programme yesterday to help keep the country free from the debilitating virus, as part of its Can$ 250 million commitment to polio eradication for 2013-18. The announcement was made by Canada’s Minister for International Development, Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau at the global Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen. This high-level event focused on the Sustainable Development Goals and developing solutions to the health, economic and social challenges facing girls and women around the world today.
Through WHO’s ‘Sustaining Polio Eradication Through Strengthened Routine Immunization project’, the additional funding will help to immunize more than 13 million children against polio in 11 high-risk Nigerian states, and train upwards of 150,000 vaccinators. It complements Canada’s polio eradication support for the Hard-to-Reach Project through UNICEF, an initiative to bring polio vaccines to the most vulnerable and remote communities alongside other health interventions such as routine vaccines, maternity care, deworming tablets and Vitamin A supplements.
“Polio will be eradicated in a few years,” said Minister Bibeau in a press statement. “Consider the powerful impact of such a statement. It can happen with a sustained effort aimed at immunizing every child. Our aim is to help reduce the burden of diseases affecting mothers and children, and eradicate polio from Nigeria for good.”
Citing the conference as an opportune time to make the announcement, WHO thanked the Government of Canada for its continuous support to polio eradication efforts in Nigeria and beyond.
“We are grateful for Canada’s leadership and significant support to polio eradication and its commitment to keep Nigeria polio free,” said Dr Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director General for Family, Women’s and Children’s Health. “Given the leadership role that women play in polio eradication worldwide, it is particularly meaningful that this announcement is made at Women Deliver,” she added. “As the caretakers in many families, women are well placed to convince families to accept vaccination. Thanks to the critical action of women as community mobilizers and vaccinators, the programme is reducing the number of chronically missed children by building community trust.”
Nigeria successfully removed itself from the list of polio endemic countries in 2015 with its last case in July 2014, a remarkable achievement for a country that for decades struggled to stamp out the virus. Although now polio-free, like many other countries, it remains at significant risk of poliovirus importation.
“Polio is still endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and so long as transmission occurs in these countries, we are not out of the woods,” said Joseph Swan, Communications Officer for WHO’s polio hub based in Amman, Jordan, who attended the conference. “WHO and partners continue to work closely with governments of countries like Nigeria to enhance immunization coverage and improve surveillance systems to detect polio, should it reappear. We mustn’t be complacent. We must continue to innovate to reach every last child in the poorest and most underserved communities of the world. Because until polio transmission is stopped for good, no country is safe from outbreaks,” he said.
Women are increasingly empowered with new roles to serve their communities, which could have lasting changes on societies. A new strategy to employ local women to administer the vaccine and make regular house visits in some of the highest risk areas is being implemented in high-risk areas of Pakistan. Female teams are now covering nearly 40% of Karachi’s 2.2 million children younger than five, and the initiative will be scaled up.
The Women Deliver conference brought together more than 5000 participants, from policymakers to activists, youth leaders, and members of civil society and the corporate sector, as well as partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
The Canadian announcement comes weeks after its Can$40 million contribution to aid eradication efforts in Pakistan.
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In addition to its yearly contribution of 25 000 Swiss francs to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Liechtenstein has further contributed 15 000 Swiss francs to polio eradication through Rotary International, one of the spearheading partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The country made the contribution working closely with Rotarians in Liechtenstein and Switzerland, for the organization’s ‘End Polio Now’ campaign. With the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations’ pledge to triple commitments made to polio eradication, and previous support by the country for WHO’s polio eradication activities, this brings Liechtenstein’s contribution for 2016 to 70 000 Swiss francs. Liechtenstein’s 2016 commitment to polio eradication equates to a per-capita contribution of more than 2 Swiss francs for every inhabitant of the country.
Dr Aurelia Frick, Foreign Minister of Liechtenstein, commented: “We are part of the global community and we are committed to playing our part in the global effort to wipe this devastating disease from the face of the planet. Our world is interconnected, and we know that our children remain at risk of reinfection until the disease has been stopped, once and for all. We will continue to support polio eradication until we have reached our goal.”
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The financial support will play a critical role in supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and through the U.S. Agency for International Development. The funds will support ongoing efforts to stop wild poliovirus transmission in the remaining polio endemic countries, and help to reach more than 430 million children who remain at risk for contracting polio in a number of countries, primarily in Africa and Asia. 2015 saw significant progress in polio eradication with Nigeria and the entire continent of Africa passing a year without any new wild polio cases. World Health Organization removed Nigeria from the list of endemic countries. Only Pakistan and Afghanistan have confirmed cases of wild polio this year (66 as of December 18th) and we have seen a 79 percent reduction in cases from the same period of time last year.
“We’re delighted by the news of the US’s continued financial commitment to a polio free world at this critical time when we are so close to the finish line,” says Rotary Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force for the United States Chair Jim Lacy. “Congress’ support of polio eradication is a fantastic example of bi-partisan collaboration on an issue of shared concern with concrete results. Members of Rotary clubs throughout the US and globally deeply appreciate the longstanding leadership of the US Government and are proud of the progress achieved through this public-private partnership.” [Read more]
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On 30 November 2015, Rotary International honoured four current and former Irish Government officials for their contribution to the global fight against poliovirus.
Diarmuid McClean of the Irish Embassy in Mozambique encouraged Ireland’s early commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, while member of the Irish Parliament Joe Costello facilitated Ireland’s multi-year commitment of €5 million, announced at the 2013 Vaccines Summit in Abu Dhabi. Former member of the European Parliament Gay Mitchell was honoured for raising the profile of polio in the European parliament, and Member of the European Parliament Mairead McGuiness for gathering support for increased funding from the European Union.
With a commitment of more than US $27.2 million since 1988, the Government of Ireland has played a substantial part in reducing the burden of paralytic poliovirus, from over 350,000 cases a year in 1988 to 60 thus far in 2015.
Rotary International made polio eradication is main philanthropic goal in 1985. Since then, it has contributed more than US $1.5 billion, of which more than US $1 million has come from 2,000 members of the 72 Rotary clubs in Ireland.
With the world closer to eradicating polio that at any point in the past, it is more important now than ever that we maintain the momentum that has brought us this far. In this ‘low-season’ for virus transmission, support for eradication must be redoubled to ensure that every possible child is vaccinated against polio.
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Ireland to provide €5 million in fight to eradicate Polio
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Yemen launches on Saturday 15 August a national round of vaccination campaign against measles and polio, to protect children from these preventable diseases and ensure that Yemen remains polio-free. Despite the ongoing conflict in Yemen, the campaign is aiming to cover the entire country – more than 5 million under five years of age with polio vaccine and 1.4 million children under the age of 15. More than 40,000 health workers and volunteers are being mobilized for this effort, supported by the government and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
The conflict in Yemen has posed challenges to the polio eradication programme, including difficulties in distributing vaccines to health facilities, the closure of over 20% of health centres, and the inability of people to reach the centres that remain due to conflict. In spite of the political unrest in Yemen, 88% of children were reached with routine vaccines through health facilities and campaigns in 2014. A national measles, rubella and polio campaign was implemented in November 2014 reaching as many as 93% of children.
The campaign is made possible by contributors to the Horn of Africa polio outbreak, which has included operations in Yemen. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative receives financial support from governments of countries affected by polio; private sector foundations, donor governments, multilateral organizations, private individuals, humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations and corporate partners. Full list of all contributors.
National polio, measles and rubella campaign launched in Yemen [press release]
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In recognition of his leadership and the support of the Japanese government toward ending the paralyzing disease polio, Rotary presented Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with its Polio Eradication Champion Award for outstanding commitment to ending polio on 28 May 2015.
“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the government of Japan have played a critical role in protecting children from polio, which just over two decades ago paralyzed 1,000 children each day,” said Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang. “Yet wiping a disease from the face of the earth is not easy, and the final push is the most challenging. As long as polio exists anywhere, we run the risk of outbreaks everywhere. The continued support of Japan and other governments will remain vital as we strive to eradicate this disease.”
With a commitment of ¥ 55.3 billion (US$475 million) to polio eradication since 1988, Japan is the third largest government donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Japan has supported a number of innovative initiatives in the three countries where polio has never been stopped – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria – and other countries at high-risk for polio outbreaks. Under Prime Minister Abe’s leadership, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) approved a ¥ 8.285 billion loan to purchase oral polio vaccine (OPV) for polio immunization campaigns in Nigeria. Japan has also approved innovative funding through JICA which is supporting efforts to end the disease in Pakistan. Most recently, the government of Japan announced a contribution of ¥ 562 million (US$5.4 million) to support critical polio immunization activities in Pakistan.
Rotary established the Polio Eradication Champion Award in 1995 to honour heads of state, health agency leaders and others who have made significant contributions to the global eradication of polio. Prime Minister Abe is the third Japanese leader recognized with this award. Previously, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi received the Polio Eradication Champion Award in 2006. Since that time, Japan has contributed ¥ 18.8 billion (US$161.38 million) to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto received the award in 2003.
In addition to donating to the global effort to end polio, Japanese Rotarians travel abroad at their own expense to immunize children against polio in endemic and high-risk countries.
Japan also played a key role in championing polio eradication during its 2008 G8 Presidency, which acknowledged considerable progress on polio eradication, and included a reference to the importance of meeting commitments to support the GPEI in its health approach. Japan will be convening the next G7 in 2016. More
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The continued fight to eradicate polio gets an additional US$ 34.8 million boost from Rotary in support of immunization activities and research to be carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The funds will be used by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF for polio immunization, surveillance and research activities in ten countries, as well as to provide technical assistance to additional countries in Africa.
In 2014, the world saw significant progress against polio in most places. Nigeria – the last polio-endemic country in Africa – saw a nearly 90% reduction in cases in 2014 over 2013, with the last case recorded six months ago. In addition, more than half of the world’s polio cases in 2013 were the result of outbreaks in previously polio-free countries, largely caused by instability and conflict in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Somalia. These outbreaks appear to have been stopped in 2014 following special vaccination efforts in 11 countries, reaching more than 56 million children.
The exception to this progress was Pakistan, which saw an explosive outbreak which resulted in more than 300 cases in 2014, the highest number in the country in more than a decade. As a result, Pakistan accounted for over 80% of the world’s cases in 2014. In 2015, Pakistan has the opportunity to reverse that trend and in doing so, help the world end polio forever.
The progress made against the disease in 2014, while significant, is fragile. Rotary’s funds will support efforts to end polio in the three countries where the disease has never been stopped: US$ 8.1 million in Nigeria; US$ 1.1 million in Pakistan and US$ 6.7 million in Afghanistan.
Additional funds will support efforts to keep other at-risk countries polio-free. The grants include US$ 1.6 million, Cameroon: US$ 2.5 million, Chad; US$ 3.3 million, Democratic Republic of the Congo; US$ 1.1 million, Ethiopia; US$ 250 000, Kenya; US$ 2.8 million, Niger; and US$ 7 million, Somalia. In addition, grants totalling US$ 321 000 will provide technical assistance in Africa.
“We are encouraged to see the tangible progress made against this disease in 2014,” said Mike McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. “However, until we eliminate polio from its final reservoirs, children everywhere are at risk from this disease. Rotary – along with our partners – will work hard to ensure the world’s most vulnerable children are kept safe from polio.”
Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus in 1985 and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the initiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350 000 cases a year to 350 confirmed to date in 2014.
Rotary’s roles within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, and social mobilization. To date, Rotary has contributed more than US$ 1.3 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio. Through 2018, every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to US$ 35 million a year.
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Monaco’s contribution comes at a critical moment because Niger remains at particular risk for polio and has been repeatedly re-infected by virus imported from neighbouring northern Nigeria. The wild poliovirus type 1 case with onset 15 November 2012 was linked to Nigeria as well as the 11 July 2013 case due to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) which was related to cVDPV2 cases detected in 2013 in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria.
The Government of Niger implemented a comprehensive response in line with international outbreak response guidelines issued by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Resolution WHA59.1. Following an initial supplementary immunization activity (SIA) on 15 January 2013, 4 nationwide and 3 subnational SIAs were conducted and, a joint national and international team of epidemiologists and public health experts were deployed by the World Health Organization ‘s Regional Office for Africa to assist the Government of Niger in the investigations, help plan response activities and support active searches for additional cases of paralytic polio.
Thanks to strong routine immunization (estimated at 95%), strong disease surveillance which rapidly detects new importations and strong outbreak response activities, poliovirus has so far not managed to re-establish a foothold following re-infection. Thanks to this, Niger is not only protecting its own children, but is in fact acting as an immunity ‘firewall’, minimizing the risk of further onward spread of poliovirus to other areas of West Africa.
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Geneva – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Saudi Fund for Development signed a memorandum of understanding last week allowing for the transfer of the final installment of the Fund’s US$ 30 million commitment to ending polio.
Thanks to this agreement, a further US$ 7.5 million will flow from the Saudi Fund for Development to the WHO for the cost of polio eradication operations in the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan. UNICEF has already received US$ 17.5 million for the purchase of oral polio vaccine (OPV) and WHO a previous installment of US$ 5 million.
WHO Assistant Director-General for Polio, Emergencies and Country Collaboration, Dr. Bruce Aylward welcomed the contribution: “Saudi Arabia is an important partner in polio eradication and a leader in their region. Their support will play a critical role in putting a stop to the virus in the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan.”
The Saudi Fund’s contribution comes at a critical moment. Polio virus continues to threaten children in the Horn of Africa region due to an ongoing outbreak centred in Somalia. These funds will help the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to carry out mass vaccination campaigns, increase immunity levels in the affected countries, stop the outbreak and protect other countries in the region from becoming infected with the virus. Additionally, support for the Afghanistan program will help to ensure that the progress made in 2013 continues. Afghanistan is seeing a 60% reduction in polio cases compared to this time last year and has seen no cases in its endemic southern region for a year.
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KOFIH takes part in Nigerian Rapid Surveillance Assessment
WHO/Nigeria
25 September 2013 – The Nigeria Polio Eradication Initiative has been supported in 2013 by the Korean Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), a specialized organization under the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. A delegate from KOFIH, Dr Adam Jaehyeok Lee (pictured below), joined a team working on a Rapid Surveillance Assessment in Sokoto. The team consisted of members from Federal Ministry of Health, National Primary Health Care Authority and WHO. They spent five days carrying out activities including visiting health facilities, interviewing health practitioners, meeting community informants and reviewing documentation. At the end they provided feedback and recommendations to the State.
This is the first grant from KOFIH in support of polio eradication activities and was made possible by the Community Chest of Korea which was established in 2006 to promote international cooperation. KOFIH plays a key role in providing development assistance for health by supporting projects for a disease-free world through focusing on child health and health systems strengthening.
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LISBON, Portugal – On 25 June, Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced an extension of their existing fundraising partnership that could generate up to US$525 million in new money for polio eradication as the global effort to end this crippling disease enters its critical endgame phase.
Under the new agreement, announced before an audience of more than 20,000 Rotary members from 160 countries gathered in Lisbon for the humanitarian group’s annual convention, the Gates Foundation will match 2 for 1 every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication up to $35 million per year through 2018.
All funds raised will support crucial immunization activities in polio-affected countries. These are part of a comprehensive six-year plan to eradicate both wild poliovirus and vaccine-derived virus announced in April by the eradication initiative during the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi. At the Summit, global leaders and individual philanthropists signaled their confidence in the endgame plan by pledging $4 billion, nearly three-quarters of the plan’s projected $5.5 billion cost. They also called upon additional donors to commit the additional $1.5 billion needed to ensure eradication. Since then, the government of Australia, and now Rotary, are committing funding toward the remaining $1.5 billion gap through 2018.
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Rotary recognized today the longstanding support and continued leadership of the German government in support of polio eradication by presenting the Polio Eradication Champion Award to Dirk Niebel, Minister for Economic Development Cooperation.
Germany is a longtime supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) with contributions totalling US$ 417 million through 2012. Germany announced a new commitment of € 100 million at an April 2013 Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi . An additional € 5 million in support was announced to support improved security in the remaining polio affected countries in light of recent violent and deadly attacks on health workers.
“Polio is a scourge of mankind. Today we have a unique opportunity to eradicate this devastating disease. We have a responsibility to defeat polio so that future generations will only know about this disease from text books. Rotary has been successfully focused on this task for decades. The achievements so far have been overwhelming. And this is precisely why we must now also go the very last step. I am convinced that polio eradication will be achieved if everyone is on board – the States, civil society and the economy,” said Niebel.
German Rotary International Board Member Holger Knaack, who presented the award remarked, “The successful fight against polio would not be possible without the participation of governments. Rotary International would like to thank the Ministry for Economic cooperation and development aid for the long-term exemplary commitment.”
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Pacific Friends of the Global Fund
30 May, 2013 – The Australian Government pledged an additional AUD$80 million for polio eradication this week, taking the country’s total commitment to AUD$130 million.
The government’s announcement was made during a whirlwind visit by Microsoft billionaire and philanthropist, Bill Gates, on 28 May. Addressing a room full of journalists and politicians at a function hosted by the National Press Club in Canberra, Mr Gates said, “Finishing polio really is worth it. It’ll improve these health systems and save so much money.”
Australia’s renewed funding will go towards the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018, which was shared with world leaders at the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi late last month and was recently endorsed by the World Health Assembly. The plan has so far received overwhelming support, with governments and private philanthropists making substantial pledges, including Mr Gates – who announced that his foundation would be chipping in US$1.8 billion to end this disease.
The Global Poverty Project’s The End of Polio campaign has been working with partner organizations to raise awareness and lobby the Australian Government for further support for polio eradication – including partnering with UNICEF to run an event at Australia’s Parliament House earlier this year. The campaign has been working alongside Rotarians and others to convince the government that eradicating polio isn’t just the right thing to do, but what the Australian public wants them to do.
“Our supporters have been incredible,” said Michael Sheldrick, the 25-year-old Australian who runs The End of Polio campaign internationally. “They’ve signed petitions, tweeted, called, emailed and visited their political representatives in person to convince them that polio eradication is an issue worth caring about. In the week leading up to this announcement, they sent more than 150 letters to Foreign Minister Bob Carr’s office, calling on him to commit additional funding.
More than US$4 billion has been pledged so far towards the new plan’s US$5.5 billion total budget. While this is a substantial commitment, a funding gap of around US$1.5 billion remains. The full funding, up front, of the new strategic plan will be critical if this disease is to finally be eradicated.
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The Korean Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), a specialized organization under the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, has officially joined the fight against polio. In its first grant to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the Foundation has provided US$1 million towards surveillance activities in Africa, specifically in Nigeria. This grant was made possible by the Community Chest of Korea.
Established in 2006 to promote international cooperation, KOFIH plays a key role in providing development assistance for health within Korea, by supporting projects for a disease-free world through focusing on child health and health systems strengthening.
Surveillance for cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) is the core strategy employed by the GPEI to detect the transmission of wild polio viruses and vaccine-derived polio viruses, guide the supplementary immunization activities, and facilitate the eventual certification of wild poliovirus eradication. As eradication efforts continue to be implemented within the context of the ‘emergency’ in the remaining infected areas, it is critical to protect the gains achieved elsewhere, in particular in areas at high risk for re-infection. A key strategy is to ensure strong surveillance for AFP in order to rapidly detect an eventual importation or re-emergence of polio in polio-free areas. Rapid detection enables a rapid response, and hence the consequences of a re-infection can be minimized.
During the World Health Assembly, Dr Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General, met with the President of KOFIH, Lee Soo-ku, to thank the Foundation for joining the Initiative and providing critical financial support for an area of work that “lets the world know whether we are on track or not”.
(c) WHO/A. Balachandran
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WHO/T.Moran
April 25, 2013 – Today, at the Global Vaccine Summit, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) presented a comprehensive six-year plan, the first plan to eradicate all types of polio disease – both wild poliovirus and vaccine-derived cases – simultaneously. Global leaders and individual philanthropists signaled their confidence in the plan by pledging three-quarters of the plan’s projected US$ 5.5 billion cost over six years. They also called upon additional donors to commit up front the additional US$1.5 billion needed to ensure eradication.
The new plan capitalizes on the best opportunity to eradicate polio, with the number of children paralyzed by this disease at their lowest level ever (223 in 2012,and 19 so far this year). The urgency is linked to the tremendous advances made in 2012 and the narrow window of opportunity to seize on that progress and stop all poliovirus transmission before polio-free countries become re-infected.
“After millennia battling polio, this plan puts us within sight of the endgame. We have new knowledge about the polioviruses, new technologies and new tactics to reach the most vulnerable communities. The extensive experience, infrastructure and knowledge gained from ending polio can help us reach all children and all communities with essential health services,” said World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan.
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