TORONTO, April 20, 2016 /CNW/ - Eradicating polio from the face of the earth is within grasp --yet, precariously, the risk of complacence brings to all the need for alarm. Polio can be defeated in just three years. Sixty years ago, polio was feared amongst the most dangerous diseases known to man. Today, polio is endemic in only two countries. As one of the first countries to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Canada's leadership has raged a battle well fought. For only the second time in human history, the world is now on the verge of eradicating this crippling infectious disease for good. But like the final chapters of a tumultuous novel, the hardest part by far is getting to zero. All that is needed, however, is $1.5 billion for the GPEI to achieve its endgame strategy. I call on Canada to contribute an additional $150 million above the $250 million over five years already pledged in 2013 to help the GPEI bridge this funding gap. Preventing the widespread recurrence of polio requires all to step back and embrace a polio-free world. United together we will stamp out polio outright once and for all!
SOURCE Halton-Peel Results Canada
Jocelyn Lok-Yee Lee, [email protected]
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