UAE observes World Polio Day amid global recognition

As the world commemorates World Polio day on Oct 24, the UAE's role in eradicating the disease has received special recognition, months after its latest campaign -- allocating $5 million in support of an emergency polio vaccination campaign in Gaza.

UAE has been putting focused efforts against the spread of the polio virus since 2011, allocating a total of AED1.3 billion through the "Reaching the Last Mile" initiative, which includes the UAE Polio Vaccination Campaign as part of the UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme, according to WAM.

Moreover, the UAE has contributed to delivering 700 million doses of polio vaccines to children in Pakistan between 2014 and 2023.

As polio broke out rapidly in the Gaza Strip last August, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed directed the provision of $5 million in support of an emergency polio vaccination campaign in Gaza aiming to vaccinate 640,000 children.

Last August, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to X to express "deep gratitude" to the Emirati president for his gesture, highlighting the UAE's donation of $15.2 million to support the WHO's efforts to end polio.

Since 1988, global initiatives have successfully decreased polio cases by 99%, dropping from 350,000 cases per year to only a handful in remote areas.