World Bank approves $200m for final push against polio

The financing, approved by the bank’s board of executive directors in Washington, comes through its International Development Association, which offers low-interest loans to fund development projects in developing countries and adds onto an earlier project approved in July 2012.The bank acknowledged Nigeria was making significant progress to eradicate polio. No new infection with polio virus […]

The financing, approved by the bank’s board of executive directors in Washington, comes through its International Development Association, which offers low-interest loans to fund development projects in developing countries and adds onto an earlier project approved in July 2012.
The bank acknowledged Nigeria was making significant progress to eradicate polio. No new infection with polio virus has been reported since last July.
With five more months of zero cases of Wild Polio Virus (WPV), Nigeria will have officially interrupted transmission of polio, which is a significant milestone toward eradication, the bank said.
“Eradicating polio is a global public good because of its epidemic potential and devastating impact on children and adults,” said Oluwole Odutolu, Task Team Leader for the Polio Eradication Support Project.
“Polio remains a lethal and crippling disease that is entirely preventable and ending it makes the world a safer place for all children.”
The additional financing will also help sustain the coverage of routine immunization to combat vaccine preventable-diseases, which is a major cause of under-five mortality in Nigeria.
“Sustaining routine immunization is critical to completing polio eradication and improving the health of children and mothers in Nigeria,” said Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, Country Director of the World Bank in Nigeria.
“With no new cases of polio in Africa, efforts to interrupt transmission of polio as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are looking extremely promising,” said Tim Evans, Senior Director for Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank Group.
“However, polio anywhere is a threat everywhere. As we reach the finish line in Nigeria, we must also focus on getting to zero new polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
“This important contribution from the World Bank comes at a critical time to help Nigeria sustain its strong progress against polio eradication,” said Hamid Jafari, Head of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
“This investment in Nigeria and further investment in Afghanistan and Pakistan will help galvanize support and strengthen routine immunization of children, particularly building on the lessons learned from polio eradication in these countries.”