Bill Gates praises India’s efforts to fight polio, launches initiative

Gates said he was very hopeful that the disease could be eradicated from the world with India taking a lead in this. He urged the Government to consider innovative approaches like using an injectible vaccines instead of the drops that are administered now.

Polio is virtually non-existent in most of the developed world and only a handful of countries still have endemic cases of the disease. Prominent amongst these countries are India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. India has recorded about 500 cases of polio this year, mostly in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Government figures say 172 million children have been immunised against the disease so far.

Gates said the disease was so tough to stamp out that it needed sustained and focused efforts for years. “Some three-four years back we were very close to eradicating this disease, but it has shown to be very difficult to go down,” he said.

Gates expressed the apprehension that in the current global financial crisis, many countries would cut down on their spending on public health. He said he expected the global slowdown to continue for the next two-three years.