RESULTS Canada applauds Canadian Government's investment to eradicate polio

International Cooperation Minister Julian Fantino announced a $250 million dollar increased investment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative during the Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi.

OTTAWA, April 25, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - RESULTS Canada applauds International Cooperation Minister Julian Fantino's announcement to increase Canada's contribution to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).  Minister Fantino's announcement was made during the Vaccine Summit in Adu Dhabi, co-hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

"This increased investment solidifies Canadian leadership in the area of polio eradication on the world stage" said Sabina Saini, Acting Executive Director for RESULTS Canada.  "This increase means that life-saving immunizations and the polio vaccine will reach the very poorest children in the world, and we can eradicate this debilitating disease once and for all".

The GPEI, which leads the global coordinated effort to ensure every child is vaccinated against polio, reports that the total number of polio cases has dropped from 350,000 in 1988, to 223 in 2012. Canada was the first country to invest in the GPEI and over the last decade the CIDA has contributed a total investment of $393 million to this initiative.

The Global Vaccines Summit aims to celebrate the advances in polio eradication while highlighting the need for additional resources to achieve a polio-free world.  The Summit also demonstrates how infrastructure and support systems developed by polio vaccination efforts can be used to strengthen routine immunization and health programs.

"RESULTS Canada commends Minister Fantino and the Canadian government for seizing this window of opportunity to eradicate polio in our lifetime." Said Ms. Saini

SOURCE: RESULTS Canada

Sabina Saini, Acting Executive Director, RESULTS Canada
[email protected]
819-770-9240