Gates Foundation pledges towards $200m anti-polio drive

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a $200 million (£96 million) boost for the global campaign to eradicate polio, working in conjunction with the Rotary International.

Initially the Gates Foundation will provide the association with a $100 million (£48 million) grant towards its work in fighting the disease, which Rotary International will then match dollar-for-dollar by raising funds over the next three years.

Most of the initial funding will be spent on supporting mass immunisation campaigns in countries hit by polio, as well as disease surveillance and education programmes.

"The extraordinary dedication of Rotary members has played a critical role in bringing polio to the brink of eradication," said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"Eradicating polio will be one of the most significant public health accomplishments in history, and we are committed to helping reach that goal," he added.

Polio cases now result in 700 deaths annually, compared to over 350,000 a year in the late 1980's, the BBC reported, but the disease is still endemic in four countries worldwide.

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