Achi news desk-
Gates welcomes a $500 million pledge from Saudi Arabia to fight polio over the next five years
London: Co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Bill Gates said success in the fight to eradicate polio is not guaranteed.
The philanthropist, whose foundation has poured billions into the effort, warned against complacency in tackling the deadly viral disease as he welcomed a $500 million pledge from Saudi Arabia on Sunday to fight polio over the next five years, bringing it in line with the U.S., one of the biggest national donors.
However, there is still a $1.2 billion funding gap in the $4.8 billion budget for the Global Polio Initiative (GPEI) until 2026, a spokesperson said. The new money from the kingdom will go some way towards closing this.
Riyadh has supported polio eradication for more than 20 years, but the significant increase in funding comes amid a “challenging” situation, said Abdullah Al Mualem, director of health at the King Salman Center for Humanitarian and Humanitarian Aid, the kingdom’s aid arm.
Cases of polio, a viral disease that used to paralyze thousands of children each year, have fallen by more than 99% since 1988 thanks to mass vaccination campaigns.
“It is not guaranteed that we will succeed,” Gates said Reuters In an online conversation last week. “I feel strongly that we can succeed, but it was difficult.”
The support of powerful Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia would help, he added, especially in addressing some lingering suspicions about vaccination.
The foundation said it would open a regional office in Riyadh to support polio and other regional programs.
It allocates 4 million dollars for humanitarian aid in Gaza, which will be distributed through UNICEF. The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Assistance Center will also allocate $4 million, it said.
The first missed target for polio eradication was in 2000, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest donor trying to realize that goal.
“If we’re still here 10 years from now, people may be asking me to give up,” Gates said. “But I don’t think we will be. If things go well, we’ll finish in three years,” he said.
