PHA-Exch> POLIO ERADICATION WITHIN REACH - BAN KI-MOON

[Claudio Schuftan]

Can this be true?
 Claudio

From: Vern Weitzel <vern at coombs.anu.edu.au>
crossposted from: "[health-vn discussion group]" health-vn at cairo.anu.edu.au


Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today anticipated the total eradication of
polio
before the end of 2008, hailing the efforts of Chicago-based Rotary
International and other United Nations partners in this effort.

"Rotary International has led a $600 million worldwide campaign to wipe out
polio. Sometime this year, their work will be done. Polio will be history,
like smallpox," said Mr. Ban in an address to the Economic Club of Chicago.

The global polio partnership is spearheaded by the UN World Health
Organization
(WHO), Rotary International, the United States Centers for Disease Control
and
Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Over the past 20 years, the number of cases has fallen by over 99 per cent.
In
2007, more than 400 million children were immunized against the disease,
which
remains only in northern India, northern Nigeria and the border between
Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Prior to the meeting with the Economic Club, Mr. Ban received the Rotary
International Award of Honor from the organization's President, Wilfrid J.
Wilkinson.

The award recognizes leaders in the international community "for their
significant contributions in promoting humanitarian service, encouraging
high
ethical standards and advancing the goals of world peace and cross-cultural
understanding," according to officials from Rotary International.

Previous recipients include Kofi Annan, Margaret Thatcher, F.W. DeKlerk,
four US
presidents.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20080209/a50e7692/attachment-0001.html>