The Hill: Bipartisan support will be critical to ending polio
Chris Elias, president of the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“…[I]f eradication efforts are sustained, the new administration and new Congress could see the end of polio entirely. … With polio remaining in only three countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan), the new administration and new Congress will have an important opportunity to consign this dreadful disease to the history books by sustaining support for eradication efforts. This World Polio Day, let’s not forget how the continued leadership from both sides of the aisle in the U.S. has been, and will continue to be, essential to ending polio. Americans want a safe, healthy, and prosperous world, and giving all children the opportunity to lead a healthy and productive life is something we can all support” (10/24).

Seattle Times: A polio-free world is within reach
Ralph Munro, former Washington secretary of state; Ezra Teshome, past Rotary district governor; and Steve Crane, polio survivor and Rotary polio advocacy leader

“…As long as polio exists, it can travel anywhere and threaten everyone. … The good news is that polio can be stopped. Ending polio for good has been Rotary International’s top priority since 1988 … Funding from the U.S. government has been essential to this effort and remains critical until polio is eradicated. … If progress continues in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the outbreak in Nigeria is stopped, and American and foreign governments sustain their support, the world’s population could be polio-free in just a few years. That would be one of the greatest public health victories in history. You can help. Encourage friends and family with children to have them protected by the safe, effective polio vaccine. In countries where it is hard for parents to do this, governments, Rotarians, and the global health community are working to reach every child at risk” (10/24).