Bill Gates Backs Efforts to Kick Polio out of Africa
- By Simeon Ogoegbulem
- Published June 13th, 2010
- News
- Unrated
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, last week in Abuja gave a big boost to the Kick Polio Out of Africa (KPOA) campaign when he signed the football which is travelling from Cape Town to Egypt ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Gates, the founder of Microsoft, commended the efforts of Rotary International worldwide in the fight to help kick polio out Africa and the rest of the world.
During the ball’s epic journey through 22 polio-affected and high-risk countries, Rotary clubs throughout Africa are mobilizing the public for massive immunizations and raising awareness for polio eradication. Gates also commended Nigeria for making significant gains in the fight against polio and urged them to finish the job. He joined Nigerian officials in bringing attention to the current immunization rounds throughout Africa which is targeting more than 100 million children under the age of five.
BusinessWorld Intelligence can disclose that since Rotary and its partners began their fight against polio in 1988, the incidence of the disease has been reduced by 99 percent. In Africa, only Nigeria remains polio-endemic, but the disease still affects children in many other high-risk countries, emphasizing the importance of protecting all African children from polio. According to the World Health Organization, only three cases of polio were reported in Nigeria through 25 May this year, compared with 276 cases reported during the same time period in 2009. “Nigeria’s recent progress against polio is an achievement that all Nigerians should be proud of,” said Gates. “Thanks to political and traditional leaders, dedicated health workers, and loving parents who want to protect their children, Nigeria is on a path toward eliminating polio.”
After travelling for almost four months across the continent, the football is close to reaching it final destination in Alexandria, Egypt. The grand campaign finale will be held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, on 12 June, under the auspices of First Lady Suzanne Mubarak. African Cup of the Nation champions will kick the ball, symbolically kicking polio out the continent and into the Mediterranean Sea. Also attending the event will be film star and polio goodwill ambassador Hany Salama, polio-infected children, government officials, and dignitaries.
Rotary last February launched its “Kick Polio out of Africa” awareness campaign in Cape Town, one of the host cities to the 2010 World Cup, with the symbolic kicking of a ball signed by Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Afflicted with polio as a child, Tutu joined the campaign as goodwill ambassador. From Egypt, the ball will travel to Montréal, Canada, to be presented at the Rotary International Convention later this month. The ball’s journey is being underwritten by DHL Express.
Polio eradication has been Rotary’s top priority for more than two decades. The international humanitarian service organization has contributed more than $900 million toward a polio-free world, and is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Unicef.
Rotary recently pledged to raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All of the resulting $555 million will be spent in support of eradication activities. Great progress has been made, and the incidence of polio infection has plunged from about 350,000 cases in 1988 to fewer than 2,000 in 2009. More than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 paediatric deaths.
During the ball’s epic journey through 22 polio-affected and high-risk countries, Rotary clubs throughout Africa are mobilizing the public for massive immunizations and raising awareness for polio eradication. Gates also commended Nigeria for making significant gains in the fight against polio and urged them to finish the job. He joined Nigerian officials in bringing attention to the current immunization rounds throughout Africa which is targeting more than 100 million children under the age of five.
BusinessWorld Intelligence can disclose that since Rotary and its partners began their fight against polio in 1988, the incidence of the disease has been reduced by 99 percent. In Africa, only Nigeria remains polio-endemic, but the disease still affects children in many other high-risk countries, emphasizing the importance of protecting all African children from polio. According to the World Health Organization, only three cases of polio were reported in Nigeria through 25 May this year, compared with 276 cases reported during the same time period in 2009. “Nigeria’s recent progress against polio is an achievement that all Nigerians should be proud of,” said Gates. “Thanks to political and traditional leaders, dedicated health workers, and loving parents who want to protect their children, Nigeria is on a path toward eliminating polio.”
After travelling for almost four months across the continent, the football is close to reaching it final destination in Alexandria, Egypt. The grand campaign finale will be held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, on 12 June, under the auspices of First Lady Suzanne Mubarak. African Cup of the Nation champions will kick the ball, symbolically kicking polio out the continent and into the Mediterranean Sea. Also attending the event will be film star and polio goodwill ambassador Hany Salama, polio-infected children, government officials, and dignitaries.
Rotary last February launched its “Kick Polio out of Africa” awareness campaign in Cape Town, one of the host cities to the 2010 World Cup, with the symbolic kicking of a ball signed by Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Afflicted with polio as a child, Tutu joined the campaign as goodwill ambassador. From Egypt, the ball will travel to Montréal, Canada, to be presented at the Rotary International Convention later this month. The ball’s journey is being underwritten by DHL Express.
Polio eradication has been Rotary’s top priority for more than two decades. The international humanitarian service organization has contributed more than $900 million toward a polio-free world, and is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Unicef.
Rotary recently pledged to raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All of the resulting $555 million will be spent in support of eradication activities. Great progress has been made, and the incidence of polio infection has plunged from about 350,000 cases in 1988 to fewer than 2,000 in 2009. More than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 paediatric deaths.
