Gates Foundation contributes $1.2 billion to the fight to eradicate polio worldwide through the Gates Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations
The Gates Foundation today announced it has contributed $1.2 billion to the fight to eradicate polio worldwide through the Gates Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations.
This contribution further strengthens the foundation’s longstanding commitment to saving lives and improving the global health situation — including the fight to eradicate polio and to support the most vulnerable.
In addition to the Gates Foundation contribution, the Gates Charitable Fund has contributed $1.1 billion. The three major donors have a combined and unquestioned commitment to make sure 100% of all eligible and able children are immunized against the disease.
The Gates Foundation is a private nonprofit, and all of its financial contributions are fully tax-deductible.
“The fight to eradicate polio is very much in our blood,” said Gates. “I hope that today’s announcement is the first of many such efforts, and I believe that the best investment we can make is in the next generation of immunization. Let’s not let a single child’s future be lost while the best work continues to eliminate polio once and for all.”
Gates highlighted his son’s role in the global fight against polio, which he had joined shortly after returning to the United States.
He shared the story of how Givor Ozet Ozet had been fighting polio in central Africa when he was six years old. In the early spring of 1976, he was attacked with a virus that his lungs could not fight, and he became dangerously ill. After a night in the hospital, he returned home to begin a grueling 12-18 month recovery. After four years, he returned to school, and was soon diagnosed with polio. But, he was healthy, and would not be left behind. Today, Givor is a successful medical missionary in Africa, and the youngest person in the world to be certified as a Medical Missionary.
“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from my father is the
