Worldwide eradication programme on tenterhooks amid US science turmoil
As countries including the US and the UK slash foreign aid budgets, leaders of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have warned of a “public health disaster” if efforts to rid the world of the disease fail.
They are calling on funders and governments to either “step up” or continue funding, as some nations’ investment in the GPEI is uncertain or looks set to end.
Funding from the US and the UK—significant donor countries—is currently under review and the GPEI has been in talks with government officials. This included meeting with UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials in mid-March to discuss £100 million in potential funding. The programme is still awaiting a decision.
The eradication programme is a…