Can we eradicate polio in our lifetime?
21 October 2011
Polio – a disease which has disabled millions and pulled vulnerable individuals further into poverty – has been reduced by 99%. This October, you can help end it.
Polio is a disease that can disable, paralyse and even kill. Decades of vaccination work has reduced the disease by 99 per cent, bringing eradication within reach, but a global funding gap is putting the opportunity to eradicate polio at risk.
Our friends at the Global Poverty Project (GPP) are calling on the Australian Government to contribute $50 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and place polio eradication on the agenda at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Perth during October.
The Meeting will bring together more than 50 heads of government, including representatives from three of the four remaining polio-endemic countries and representatives from a number of key donor countries. It presents a huge opportunity to focus global attention on polio, to secure a declaration of support from Commonwealth leaders and to encourage financial contributions from Commonwealth members.
With an existing UK Government commitment to match every $5 donated that other countries put into polio eradication with a further $1 donation (up to a limit of £20 million), a commitment from the Australian Government at CHOGM would not only help close the funding gap but also help build the political momentum needed to realise the end of this debilitating disease.
To catapult Polio into the international spotlight, GPP are hosting The End of Polio Concert during CHOGM week in Perth. Bringing Grammy award winner John Legend, Bliss n Eso, The Getaway Plan, Hungry Kids of Hungary and many more artists together with thousands of supporters – GPP will call on Australia's leaders to contribute to ending polio.
Read more and join the call here