Nigeria, four other African nations get Rotary International’s $15m to eradicate polio

Rotary International on Wednesday announced a donation of $15 million (about N3 billion) for the eradication of polio in five African countries.
A Rotary statement in Lagos said it had also committed $35 million (about N6.9 billion) in grants to support the global efforts to end polio.
According to the statement, in 2015, Africa proved a hub of historic progress against the paralyzing disease.
It noted that the previous year also saw Nigeria, the last polio-endemic country in Africa, removed from the World Health Organization’s list of endemic countries in September.
The statement said that Nigeria reached the feat following one year without a new case of the wild virus, adding that the last wild polio case on the African continent was in August 2014.
Michael McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International Polio Plus Committee, said: “We are closer than ever to achieving a polio-free world.
“To ensure that no child ever again suffers the devastating effects of this disease, we must all ensure that the necessary funds and political will are firmly in place in 2016.”
The statement explained that available records showed that just two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan – were reporting a single strain of the wild virus.
It mentioned that to sustain the progress made in polio eradication and protect all children from polio, “experts say $1.5 billion is urgently needed”.
It added: “Without full funding and political commitment, the disease could return to previously polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.
“Rotary’s funds will support efforts to keep 5 countries in Africa polio-free: Nigeria ($5,5), Cameroon ($1.6 million), Chad ($2 million); Ethiopia ($4.1 million) and Somalia ($1,8 million).”