Kingdom partners with UNICEF in anti-polio drive

In support of the United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) efforts to eradicate polio in the world, the Kingdom agreed to provide $ 7.5 million as part of the country's contribution to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger and Chad. The program includes vaccinating and immunizing more than 45 million children.
Yousef Al-Bassam, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), said a memorandum of understanding has been signed with the UNICEF on Monday to support its anti-polio projects.
“The Kingdom’s endeavor is to maintain its role in the area of social responsibility, through the fulfillment of its obligations to the local and international community, and it will continue to play this role in the future,” he said. He said many diseases, particularly those targeting children, can be eliminated through consolidating the international community efforts and providing the necessary financial support for the purchase of vaccines.
Al-Bassam highlighted the need to spread awareness about these epidemics through families and communities.
Dr. Ibrahim El-Ziq, UNICEF representative for the Gulf region, thanked the Saudi government for its cooperation and continued support for regional and international initiatives, particularly with regard to the efforts of the international organization to make polio a thing of the past.
He appreciated the leading role of the Kingdom for humanitarian relief and sustainable development projects.
“The Kingdom has become a model at the regional and international level. This generous grant has a larger role in making the program successful in more than seven developing countries that suffer from high rates of polio,” said Dr. El-Ziq.
According the World Health Organization (WHO), since the launch of the GPEI in 1988 during the World Health Assembly, the number of polio cases has decreased by over 99 percent, with lower number of cases recorded during the past year: 103 cases in only four countries, compared to a record 303 cases in 12 countries during 2011. Niger tops the list of countries with registered polio cases (58 percent), followed by Pakistan (22 percent), Afghanistan (15 percent), while there were only two cases registered in Chad and no recorded cases in Congo since January 2011.