United Kingdom has announced to provide an additional $13.5 million through the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help eliminate polio in Pakistan. The new fund from UK's Department for International Development (DFID) would be used to support immunisation days carried out by the Ministry and Departments of Health.
It will be a major contribution to Pakistan's Polio eradication initiative and build on the UK's work to date in helping polio cases drop. Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the number of reported cases world-wide has decreased by over 99 percent.
Today, however, polio remains endemic and there are fears that the disease will spread further with a sharp increase in the numbers of cases near the Afghanistan border. UK support will increase the ability of the Ministry of Health to treat 20,000 cases and give Lady Health Workers and women councillors a greater role to play.
The UK government has already provided $40 million to the WHO over the last 4 years. This has been significant in running National Immunisation Days and setting up disease warning surveillance. Globally, the UK has also contributed $726 million since 1988 to tackle polio. In November 2006, the UK and Pakistan signed a 10-year Development Partnership Arrangement and the UK announced a doubling of aid to Pakistan to 480 million for the period 2008-2011.
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