• Lake Chad countries to receive $8.15m
In a strategic move to fiercely combat Wild Polio Virus, Rotary International’s new fund of $35 million is to boost Nigeria and other countries’ polio eradication efforts around the world to fight the virus.
In a strategic move to fiercely combat Wild Polio Virus, Rotary International’s new fund of $35 million is to boost Nigeria and other countries’ polio eradication efforts around the world to fight the virus.
In a statement released by Rotary’s Head
of Media, Michelle Kloempken, the organisation said Nigeria and other
Lake Chad Basin countries are to receive $8.15 million out of the $35
million fund.
According to Rotary, the organisation is
“committed to an additional $35 million in grants to support the global
effort to end polio, bringing the humanitarian service organisation’s
contribution to $105 million in 2016.
The announcement follows recent reports
of three new cases of wild poliovirus in Nigeria: two cases in July, and
one in August. The three cases are the first to be detected in Nigeria
since July 2014.
Kloempken explained that “with these
cases, funding for polio eradication is particularly vital as rapid
response plans are now in action in Nigeria and surrounding countries to
stop the outbreak quickly and prevent its spread. Rotary and its
partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are acting to
immunise children in Nigeria and countries in the Lake Chad Basin (Chad,
northern Cameroon, southern Niger and the Central African Republic).
“Nearly one-fourth of the funds Rotary
announced ($8.15 million) will support the emergency response campaigns
in this at-risk region, and last month Rotary provided $500,000 to
immediately assist with the outbreak response.”
Rotary maintained that “while significant strides have been made against the paralysing disease, with just 26 cases reported in 2016, polio remains a threat in hard-to-reach and underserved areas and conflict zones.”
Rotary maintained that “while significant strides have been made against the paralysing disease, with just 26 cases reported in 2016, polio remains a threat in hard-to-reach and underserved areas and conflict zones.”
According to the Chair of Rotary’s
International Polio-Plus Committee, Michael McGovern, “while we are
disappointed with the recent news coming out of Nigeria, this situation
underscores the extreme importance of widespread immunisation campaigns
and strong disease surveillance in all countries of the world until
polio is fully eradicated.
“This funding will help ensure that
Rotary and our GPEI partners are doing all that we can to redouble our
efforts and protect the progress in polio-free parts of the world, as
well as stop transmission in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and now Nigeria,”
McGovern stated.
He said “To sustain this progress, and
protect all children from polio, experts say $1.5 billion is urgently
needed. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralysing
disease could return to previously polio-free countries, putting
children everywhere at risk.
“Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio. Through 2018, every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year.”
“Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio. Through 2018, every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year.”
He added that “Rotary launched its polio
immunisation programme PolioPlus in 1985, and in 1988 became a
spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the
World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, U.S. Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), and was later joined by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation. Since the initiative launched, the incidence
of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 per cent, from about 350,000
cases a year to 26 confirmed to date in 2016.
“In addition to supporting the response
in the Lake Chad Basin region, funding has been allocated to support
polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan ($5.55 million), Pakistan
($12.36 million), India ($875,000), Somalia ($1.77 million), South Sudan
($2.04 million), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ($2 million).
A final grant in the amount of $2.25 million will support key WHO staff
members.”
This came as officials of the Ministry Federal Capital Territory and Rotary International intensified vaccination across Abuja and its environs.
This came as officials of the Ministry Federal Capital Territory and Rotary International intensified vaccination across Abuja and its environs.
Speaking to journalists, Chairperson,
Rotary’s Polio Plus Club, Nnenna Anekwe said Rotary “intends to achieve a
polio free nation by intensifying vaccination across Abuja to
effectively reach out to children within the age bracket for the
exercise.
“We really want to combat polio in our society. We want to put an end to polio. That’s actually the basic reason for this particular exercise. We want to have a polio free nation,” she said.
“We really want to combat polio in our society. We want to put an end to polio. That’s actually the basic reason for this particular exercise. We want to have a polio free nation,” she said.
Anekwe further stated that “knowing that
no outbreak has actually been heard of or dictated in FCT and its
environs except for the ones in the North-east areas, we want to do all
we can to sustain that feat. And since they have actually come a long
way in combating this disease or virus, I guess we should be able to
have a broader coverage this time around with this exercise.”
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