Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 15th Feb. World Health Organization said on Wednesday that every dollar invested in fighting polio in the Eastern Mediterranean region yields a return of nearly $39, in a press release issued in New York.
WHO commissioned a study covering 8 priority countries – Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen found that maintaining polio-related measures and integrating them into expanded immunization, surveillance and response programmes results in nearly $290 billion in economic and social benefits.
These activities cost $7.5 billion, which means that for every dollar spent, the return on investment is almost $39.
Dr. Rana Hajjeh the regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean said “We at WHO emphasize the importance of strengthening essential programmes, like the national routine immunization programme, and also strengthening emergency response to take advantage of all the polio assets, and building health systems.”
WHO stated that many of countries in the region face challenges from weak healthcare systems and political instability to low routine vaccination coverage.
WHO and the UNICEF are stakeholders in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative which for years has been providing indispensable technical and financial support there.
