EU-led plan to eradicate polio commits more than 1 billion euros – News – Rti Central Radio
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Time: 2023-10-11 21:25 News citation: Interview, Reuters Writing Editor: Zhang Ziqing Due to large-scale vaccination campaigns around the world, polio cases have decreased by 99% since the 1990s. (Pixabay)
The European Union, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) said today (11th) that the European Union, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the European Investment Bank (European Investment Bank) jointly announced a project of more than 1 billion euros (1.06 billion). US dollar) new financing program aimed at eradicating polio.
Thanks to mass vaccination campaigns worldwide, polio cases have dropped by 99% since the 1990s.
However, completely eradicating the disease has proven more challenging. Wild strains of polio are currently endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but vaccine-derived strains are more common.
Vaccine-derived polio can occur when children receive a vaccine containing a weakened version of the live virus.
Although these children are protected, the weakened virus shed by these immunized children can spread and mutate in unvaccinated people, eventually becoming harmful.
Both wild and vaccine-derived strains of poliovirus are usually asymptomatic, but in rare cases can cause paralysis and death in children.
Bill Gates said at a press conference: “Humanity has only eradicated one disease: smallpox (small pox), and that was more than 50 years ago. Today, we are on the verge of eradicating another disease: wild strains of poliovirus “This virus, which once paralyzed 7,000 children a week, has paralyzed just nine this year.”
“But even as polio was almost gone, 280 children were still infected with another polio variant,” Bill Gates said.
As part of the new strategic investment strategy of Europe’s Global Gateway, the financing package to fight polio is expected to reach €1.1 billion. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will be implementing partners.
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2023-10-11 13:25:15
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