In addition, two of the three types of wild polio virus have been stopped, showing clearly that eradication is possible.
Support Polio Eradication Funding for FY2019 Please join us in sending two programmatic request letters to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee and the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, in support of funding in Fiscal Year 2019 for the polio eradication activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership led by Rotary International, CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, continues to make tremendous progress. We enter 2018 with fewer recorded cases of polio than at any previous point in history thanks to the tireless efforts of millions of health workers, many of whom operate in difficult or dangerous conditions. These workers are not only protecting children from polio but also paving the way for other health programs to reach the world’s most vulnerable children. In addition, two of the three types of wild polio virus have been stopped, showing clearly that eradication is possible. Progress toward polio eradication in 2017 highlights how the best practices used to reach children for polio immunization can be applied to address other health and development challenges we face as a global community. While we celebrate progress, we must not become complacent. As long as polio exists anywhere in our globalized world, it is a threat to children everywhere. Since 2001, outbreaks have occurred in 41 previously polio-free countries. Each of these outbreaks has been stopped, successfully demonstrating the program’s effectiveness, but every country remains vulnerable until polio is eradicated. We must continue to immunize more than 400 million children in some 60 at-risk countries to protect the gains made and fulfill the potential of a polio-free world. The polio eradication initiative is one of the largest, most successful public-private health initiatives ever undertaken. Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, more than two-and-a-half billion children have been immunized, 16 million have been spared disability, and over 1.5 million deaths have been averted. However, until the world is polio-free, every child, even those in the United States, is at risk. The tremendous progress made in the fight against polio would not be possible without the financial and political commitment of the United States, which is the leading public sector donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Continued leadership is essential to ensure we capitalize on the historic opportunity to free the world from polio once and for all. For questions or to sign on to these letters, please contact Samantha Helton in Senator Wicker’s office (
[email protected]) or John Nobrega in Senator Reed’s office (
[email protected]). Sincerely,
___________________
___________________
Roger F. Wicker
Jack Reed
Senate Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Letter Chairman Roy Blunt Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education 135 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Ranking Member Patty Murray Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education 156 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Murray: Thank you for your ongoing support of funding for polio eradication through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Global Immunization Program. We are writing to request that you provide at least level funding of $176 million for this program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. This funding will enable CDC to continue its global technical leadership in support of high-quality immunization campaigns and polio surveillance, and develop in-country capacity in order to interrupt polio transmission globally. The polio eradication initiative is one of the largest, most successful public-private health initiatives ever undertaken. As a result of this global effort, more than 2.5billion children have been immunized, 16 million have been spared disability, and over 1.5 million deaths have been averted. Global polio incidence has been reduced by more than 99 percent; however, until the world is polio-free, all children, even those in the United States, remain at risk. Only two countries had indigenous transmission of wild polio virus in 2017: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We must complete polio eradication or face a potential global resurgence, which could result in as many as 200,000 cases of polio annually within a decade. Similar to smallpox eradication, polio eradication is a cost-effective public health investment, as its benefits continue to accrue over time. The physical and human assets developed to eradicate polio strengthen overall immunization and health systems and have increased global capacity to respond to public health threats such as Ebola and Zika. The infrastructure, innovations, and knowledge used to eradicate polio will continue to benefit global public health long after polio has been eradicated. The continued leadership of the United States is essential to ensure that we capitalize on the historic opportunity to free the world from polio once and for all. In order to continue this tremendous progress toward global polio eradication, we respectfully request your continued support for the polio eradication efforts of the CDC in the FY2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill.
Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Letter
The Honorable Lindsey Graham Chairman Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations 127 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy Ranking Member Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations 123 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Leahy: Thank you for your ongoing support of funding for the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Polio Eradication Initiative. We are writing to request that you provide at least level funding of $59 million for this program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill. This funding will enable USAID to continue its global technical leadership in support of high-quality immunization campaigns and polio surveillance, and develop in-country capacity in order to interrupt polio transmission globally. The polio eradication initiative is one of the largest, most successful public-private health initiatives ever undertaken. As a result of this global effort, more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized, sixteen million have been spared disability, and over 1.5 million deaths have been averted. Polio incidence has been reduced by more than 99 percent; however, until the world is polio-free, all children, even those in the United States, remain at risk. Only two countries had indigenous transmission of wild polio virus in 2017: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We must complete polio eradication or face a potential global resurgence, which could result in as many as 200,000 cases of polio annually within a decade. Similar to smallpox eradication, polio eradication is a cost-effective public health investment, as its benefits continue to accrue over time. The physical and human assets developed to eradicate polio strengthen overall immunization and health systems and have increased global capacity to respond to public health threats such as Ebola and Zika. The infrastructure, innovations, and knowledge used to eradicate polio will continue to benefit global public health long after polio has been eradicated. The continued leadership of the United States is essential to ensure that we capitalize on the historic opportunity to free the world from polio once and for all. In order to continue this tremendous progress toward global polio eradication, we respectfully request your continued support for the polio eradication efforts of the USAID in the FY2019 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
