WHO Warns $1.7 Billion Funding Shortfall Threatens Global Polio Eradication
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\nThe World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a funding shortfall of $1.7 billion poses a major threat to global efforts to eradicate polio, potentially reversing decades of progress in eliminating the disease, Al Jazeera reported.<\/p>\n
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) \u2014 a coalition led by WHO, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation \u2014 is facing a 30 percent budget cut for 2026, with the gap extending through 2029. WHO\u2019s Director of Polio Eradication, Jamal Ahmed, warned that \u201ccertain activities will simply not happen\u201d without immediate donor support.<\/p>\n
The shortfall comes amid declining foreign aid from key contributors such as the United States, Germany, and the UK, prompting GPEI to scale back operations and focus on high-risk regions. The program will prioritize surveillance, targeted vaccination, and the use of fractional doses \u2014 just one-fifth of a standard vaccine \u2014 to stretch limited supplies.<\/p>\n
Despite significant progress, polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with 36 wild poliovirus cases reported this year, alongside 149 cases of vaccine-derived strains elsewhere. WHO warned that without urgent funding, the goal of global eradication could again slip out of reach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHO Warns $1.7 Billion Funding Shortfall Threatens Global Polio Eradication —————————————– The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a funding shortfall of $1.7 billion poses a major threat to global efforts to eradicate polio, potentially reversing decades of progress in eliminating the disease, Al Jazeera reported. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) \u2014 a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"yoast_head":"\n