The campaign to rid the world of polio is close to total success, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said at an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night.
“It is close, very close. Now is the time to double down our efforts to eradicate this disease,” Mr Gates said at the event held to honour five heroes of the fight against the disease, who risk their lives for the cause.
“The donors have to step up for a couple of years more and the countries on the frontline will have to remain vigilant.”
Attending the ceremony was Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, who has been a leader in the global campaign against polio.
The UAE has made the campaign a top priority in its foreign aid programme. In 2011, Sheikh Mohammed and Mr Gates announced a fund of US$100 million (Dh734m) each to provide vaccinations for children in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In 2013, they joined again at the global vaccine summit in Abu Dhabi, where $4 billion was pledged against polio, including $120m from Sheikh Mohammed. Medical experts believe polio could be eradicated by 2018.
The Heroes of Polio Eradication, or Hope, awards honoured five brave people at the heart of the struggle against polio, often at grave risk to their lives in some of the world’s most challenged countries.
They come from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, where they have faced significant challenges including conflict and war, and often community resistance and violence for religious or cultural reasons.
Bibi Malika, who received the Hope Advocacy Award, has been working in polio vaccination for 10 years in Helmand province of Afghanistan as a community leader and medical adviser.
“In the beginning it was quite difficult to convince people that the vaccination was a good thing, but each year we developed the routine and it got a little easier,” said Mrs Malika, mother of eight.
“People’s attitudes changed gradually and they developed an awareness that it was a good thing. If there was war or conflict in the area, of course, it was more difficult.
“I am motivated by the thought that all Afghans could be like my own children. How would I feel if one of my children was sick with polio?
“I am really happy that the UAE has played its role in addressing this urgent problem, and grateful to the country for its help. It has been a huge contribution.”
“When the last child is free of polio, my job will be done.”
Mrs Malika said that there remained some challenges, such as the need to fund health workers in Afghanistan. But real progress was being made.
The awards panel said: “Mrs Malika illustrates that polio vaccinators can play a role that extends beyond just stopping the crippling disease. For women unaccustomed to seeing other women take public roles, she is a true inspiration.”
The Hope Humanitarian Award went to Constant Dedo, who has worked for almost a decade in South Sudan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. He continued his duties in high-risk areas of Nigeria after being shot while on a mission in Karachi.
Atta Ullah is chairman of the local support organisation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, who has collected religious edicts showing that vaccinations are not haram. He received the Hope Education Award.
Lawan Didi Misbahu is chairman of the association of polio survivors of Nigeria, and president of its Para-Soccer Federation, which has organised rehabilitation programmes for more than 3,000 paraplegics, often centred round football and other sports. He received the Innovation Award.
Freeda is a health worker in Baluchistan, Pakistan, who has been supporting polio vaccination campaigns for more than 15 years. She was attacked and injured in a vaccination drive, in an incident where a loved one was killed. She was honoured with the Achievement Award.
Each of the five winners also receive $40,000 from Sheikh Mohammed as a gift to an organisation on their behalf.
Boniface Igomu, national programme co-ordinator for the Rotary organisation in Nigeria, which since 1985 has been battling polio there, said the Hope campaign had made a huge impact.
“Polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria and by 2017 we hope to be able to declare, according to World Health Organisation criteria, that it is officially polio-free.”
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also works closely with the Government on global health and development issues.
Since 2012 it has been matching each dollar raised by Rotary worldwide with two dollars of its funds to accelerate the polio campaign.
Igomu also praised the UAE’s huge contribution. “When a Muslim sees help coming from another Muslim country, it is a role model that cannot be ignored. That has been the case in parts of Nigeria, and I’m sure also a very big factor in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
fkane@thenational.ae
