World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific

Poliomyelitis

The Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is spearheaded by national governments, Rotary International, The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and WHO. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports the goals of the GPEI. This strong partnership made the historic success in the Western Pacific possible and has maintained polio-free status to date; with specific support also received from the Governments of Australia, Canada and Japan.

Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
The Government of Australia has provided funding for supplementary immunization activities across the Region through purchase of vaccines and support of operational costs. The Australian support for polio eradication operations was critical to its success, also through payment of salaries, covering costs for monitoring and surveillance, and purchase of essential equipment.

More about AusAID: http://www.ausaid.gov.au


Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

More about BMGF: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/polio/Pages


Canada International Development Agency (CIDA)
The Government of Canada, through its International Development Agency, has become an active participant in the Western Pacific polio eradication programme and is supporting various general activities, primarily focusing on surveillance.

More about CIDA: http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca

The Government of Japan
In 1993, the Government of Japan made the first financial contribution to the polio eradication effort in the Western Pacific Region; it earmarked US$ 2.5 million for vaccine purchases. Ever since, it has been a strong supporter of the regional and global campaigns and, through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Government of Japan has significantly contributed to purchase of vaccines, laboratory and safe injection equipment. The Japanese government also continues to provided staff to support training of health personnel in many countries, particularly for effective monitoring and surveillance networks.

Japan's Ministry of Health and Welfare
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english
JICA
http://www.jica.go.jp/english/index.html
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.mofa.go.jp

The Government of the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the premier public health organization of the United States Government and is a respected provider of assistance and technical advice on national and international public health issues. CDC has been active in international efforts to control vaccine preventable diseases for decades, including the successful global eradication of smallpox and the regional elimination of poliomyelitis in the Region of the Americas as well as in the Western Pacific Region. CDC is providing epidemiologic, laboratory, programmatic expertise, and funding support to help polio-endemic countries with polio eradication activities. In the Western Pacific Region, CDC assistance has included equipment and training to establish the regional poliovirus laboratory network, funding for polio vaccine and operational costs in immunization campaigns, surveillance and staff salaries.

More about CDC: http://www.cdc.gov

Rotary International
Rotary International (RI) originally brought the goal of a polio-free world to the WHO World Health Assembly in 1988. Up to 1.2 million Rotarians have since played a particularly important role bringing that goal to fruition by mobilizing private financial support, raising public awareness and organizing community assistance in the global campaign to eradicate polio. In the Western Pacific Region, Rotary International has contributed substantial funding for vaccines and the strengthening of the surveillance and laboratory network. In Japan, Rotary Districts 2640 and 2650 were instrumental in fundraising and mobilizing public support for the campaign.

To read more about RI's PolioPlus Programme: http://www.rotary.org

UNICEF
Improving the health of the world's children is a core UNICEF objective with immunization being a key element. UNICEF is working to protect all children from polio by immunizing every child until the disease is eradicated. UNICEF helped raise public awareness of the plight of so many young victims of polio, and the urgent need to rid the world of this disease.UNICEF mobilized resources in many countries in the Western Pacific, particularly for the purchase of vaccines. As well as the financial contribution, UNICEF provided operational and technical support in countries, according to their need.

More about UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/

Global Polio Eradication Initiative
The goal of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is to ensure that no child will ever again know the crippling effects of polio. It is the largest public health initiative the world has ever known. The GPEI website provides further details on background, global situation, latest events and its future phases.
http://www.polioeradication.org

Weekly Epidemiological Record
The WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) serves as an essential instrument for the rapid and accurate dissemination of epidemiological information on cases and outbreaks of diseases under the International Health Regulations and on other communicable diseases of public health importance, including the newly emerging or re-emerging infections.
http://www.who.int/wer/en


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