The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $1.2 billion on Sunday for efforts to eradicate polio worldwide.
Polio was paralyzing tens of thousands of children a year in dozens of countries around the world just a few decades ago, but the virus is now only endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Part of the success in eradicating the virus is due to the nearly $5 billion that the Gates Foundation has contributed to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
“Polio eradication is within reach. But as far as we have come, the disease remains a threat. Working together, the world can end this disease,” Bill Gates said in a statement.
Despite the success in fighting the virus, samples of the poliovirus have been detected in wastewater this year, in New York. A 20-year-old Rockland County man became paralyzed after contracting the virus this summer.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency last month, urging residents to get vaccinated.
Polio was also detected in wastewater in London earlier this year.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative will require $4.8 billion in funding through 2026 with the goal of vaccinating 370 million children.
“The fight against polio has done far more than protect children against polio. It has played a key role in strengthening health systems,” Melinda French Gates said in a statement.
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