$100 million for Polio Eradication, Bloomberg’s Donation To Benefit Nigeria

Billionaire and Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has announced a donation of $100 million for polio eradication, through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The donation would benefit Nigeria, as one of the countries where people are still infected with the disease. The GPEI has a six year plan to eradicate polio, and billionaire, Bill Gates, leads in the race to completely eradicate it. Bloomberg’s donation would be useful for more immunization, to more people, in more communities and better ways to deliver it. Speaking on his donation, the billionaire said that, “It’s unthinkable that polio still exists in the world when we have the tools and technology to protect children from this preventable, debilitating disease. Now is the time to invest in making polio history. Doing so will protect future generations of children and pave the way for other life-saving interventions to reach the world’s most vulnerable populations. We are thrilled to join the Gates Foundation and other partners in the effort to end this disease once and for all.” Bill Gates praised Mayor Bloomberg for his donation, and restated his own commitment to fighting the spread of the disease, stating, “We’re at a critical juncture in the global effort to end polio. If we’re going to achieve a polio-free world, we must act quickly and commit now to providing the resources needed to fund the GPEI plan and to get the job done. Mayor Bloomberg’s commitment is a key development in helping to ensure that all children are protected from this and other vaccine-preventable diseases.  I look forward to continuing to work with him on this and other critical global health initiatives.”