Intended for healthcare professionals

Letters

Campaign to eradicate polio is funded by charity

BMJ 1995; 311 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.311.7005.633 (Published 02 September 1995) Cite this as: BMJ 1995;311:633
  1. George Rankine
  1. Retired general practitioner Petersfield, Hampshire GU31 4LL

    EDITOR,--Margaret Dooley's report on the campaign to eradicate polio does not mention that in the late 1980s the World Health Organisation was reluctant to tackle the project partly because of the cost and partly because of the problem of refrigerated transport and distribution. Rotary International spurred on the WHO by paying $250 million for the purchase of the vaccine over five years and then providing a “cold line” through its volunteer organisation in thousands of clubs in 180 countries across the world. Only recently has Rotary been allowed to have clubs in the former Soviet Union, which is why these states are only now catching up with universal immunisation.

    Rotary International planned to ensure that the world would be free of polio by its centenary year, 2005. The present rate of progress may see the goal achieved by 2000.

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