"Wipe Out Polio, Now -- By Ban Ki-moon
Wild viruses and wildfires have two things
in common. If neglected, they can spread out of control. If handled properly,
they can be stamped out for good. Today, the flame of polio is near extinction
— but sparks in three countries threaten to ignite a global blaze. Now is the
moment to act.
During the next two weeks, on two
continents, two events offer the chance for a breakthrough. First, the leaders
of the world’s largest economies — the G8 — congregate at the U.S. presidential
retreat at Camp David in rural Maryland. A week later, the world’s ministers of
health convene in Geneva. Together, they can push to deliver on an epic
promise: to liberate humankind from one of the world’s most deadly and
debilitating diseases.
The world’s war on polio, declared nearly a
quarter of a century ago, was as ambitious an undertaking as the successful
campaign to eradicate another great public health menace, smallpox. Slowly but
surely, over the years, we have advanced on that goal. Polio today survives in
only three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. That’s the good news.
The bad: we are in danger of falling victim to our own success.
Here’s why: the world is now populated by a
generation which has either never been exposed to polio or has been
inadequately vaccinated. When the virus strikes under those conditions, the impact
can be devastating. We saw that in the Republic of the Congo in 2010 and
elsewhere in Africa when an outbreak killed half of all who were infected. A prompt
emergency response by the international community halted that budding epidemic.
But the incident gives an idea of the potential consequences of failing to
eradicate polio while we have the chance. This year fewer than one hundred people
were left paralyzed by this easily preventable disease, almost all in the three
countries I have mentioned. Left unchecked, however, UN epidemiologists warn
that a renewed outbreak could cripple as many as one million people within the
decade, many of them children — the most vulnerable of the vulnerable.
This threat keeps me up at night because I
know how easy it is to address. My wife and I have personally immunized toddlers
in Asia and Africa, joining tens of millions of government workers, Rotarians,
volunteers, political and religious leaders (not to mention parents) who have
worked for decades to ensure that every child is protected. Most recently, we visited India, which just
two years ago was home to half of all the world’s children with polio. Now, thanks
to a concerted drive, we were able to celebrate India’s first polio-free year
in history.
Similar efforts are under way in the three
remaining polio-endemic countries. President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria,
Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani of Pakistan and President Hamid Karzai of
Afghanistan each personally oversee their national response. Nigeria has
committed funds from its own treasury, and polio eradication in all three
countries depends heavily on government resources. But that in itself is not
enough. With a determined push, the international community can wipe out polio
once and for all. To do so, however, it must organize — and commit the required
financial resources.
The United Nations, with its partner Rotary
International, is driving the global campaign. Our agencies are working hard to
reach all children, including those in refugee camps or swept up by natural disasters
and hunger emergencies. It may be difficult but it can be done. Somalia, to
name but one example, is afflicted by just about every human and natural
hardship known to humankind — but not polio. Its last case was in 2007, thanks in
no small part to local women who donned bright yellow smocks and traveled their
communities distributing vaccination drops.
The workers on the frontlines have no
shortage of dedication. But they do face a financial deficit. The Global Polio
Eradication Initiative has only half of the $2 billion it needs to procure
vaccines and deploy staff to the last bastions of the disease. Properly equipped, they can win this final
battle. If the international community recognizes the stakes and musters the
resources, we can win the war against polio — at long last and forever.
Now is the critical moment. If we invest $2
billion now — if we can cover a relatively modest $1 billion shortfall — we can
save the world an estimated $40-50
billion in the cost of treatment by 2035, not to mention many lives and many
young futures. When the world’s health ministers gather in Geneva later this
month, they will declare a global public health emergency and call on the world
to response to the threat of a resurgent polio. As the G8 leaders meet at Camp
David, they should be aware of what is coming — and recognize this great
opportunity to act in the name of the world’s people.
Those meetings will soon be followed by
others: the annual gathering of the G20 in Mexico, the Rio+20 conference in
Brazil and the European Union summit in Belgium. I hope polio will be on the agenda. I appeal to all leaders, everywhere, to act
now to protect future generations. By funding the Global Polio Emergency Action
Plan for the next two years, we can make the threat of
polio a distant and fading memory.
Ban Ki-moon is Secretary-General of the
United Nations.
