OTTAWA — Canada has decided to dedicate $151 million to the fight against polio worldwide.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen announced the news Friday at a Rotary International conference in Toronto.
The funding comes a month after Palestinian officials announced the first cases of polio in 25 years in the Gaza Strip.
Canadian funding will support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which provides vaccines to children around the world, including more than half a million in the Gaza Strip.
Minister Hussen’s office said the contribution was intended to help “the most vulnerable populations,” such as girls in conflict situations where access to health care is limited.
The World Health Organization has declared polio to be on the verge of eradication, with a 99% drop in cases since 1988.
Over the past 24 years, successive Canadian governments have committed $1 billion to this global vaccination effort.
There is no cure for polio, a viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis — sometimes even of the breathing muscles, which can lead to death.
Vaccination campaigns are under strain, however, as humanitarian crises and the COVID-19 pandemic divert resources and make it more difficult to vaccinate children.
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