Tuesday, May 10, 2005
And seeing as it's cropping up mostly in Islamic countries (not that it shohuld matter, of course, but it does), the WHO thinks that wealthy Islamic countries should pony up some dough.
WHO Asks Islamic Nations for Polio Funds
The World Health Organization campaign to fight polio has cost $4 billion so far, but states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference have contributed just $3 million, even though recent outbreaks of polio have occurred mostly in Islamic countries, said spokeswoman Linda Muller...
...WHO said it is looking to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to give more money to its polio eradication campaign. None of those countries has contributed funds.
A meeting of foreign ministers of the 57-nations Islamic conference in June will be an opportunity to increase funding for the polio eradication campaign, Muller said.
WHO said it needs $50 million by July to fight polio this year. For 2006, the health agency has a funding shortfall of $200 million.
Last year, some 1,267 people were infected in the world — with 792 of those in Nigeria. The current total of new cases in 2005 stands at 124, according to WHO, with Nigeria, Sudan and Yemen the worst-affected countries.
Of course, one of the reasons for this outbreak is the conspiracy-theory thinking that goes on in these countries. Hatred and ignorance cause real disease, not jus the mental variety. See: Muslims' fears pose barrier to fighting polio in Nigeria
