Organization of the Islamic Conference decision to step up effort to eradicate polio

Citation

(2004), "Organization of the Islamic Conference decision to step up effort to eradicate polio", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 17 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2004.06217aab.001

Organization of the Islamic Conference decision to step up effort to eradicate polio

International and global news

Organization of the Islamic Conference decision to step up effort to eradicate polioKeywords OIC, Global polio eradication

In October the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) adopted a new resolution presented by the Government of Malaysia and other OIC members to wipe out polio from remaining polio-infected OIC countries. The resolution was welcomed by World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), who are spearheading the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. If the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is successful, polio will be the first disease to be eradicated in the twenty-first century, and will represent the attainment of a unique global public good and equity in health for all countries.

The new resolution urges the OIC countries which are still polio-endemic to accelerate their efforts to drive it out. Six of the world's seven remaining countries that are still infected with polio are OIC member states: Nigeria, Pakistan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Niger and Somalia. The resolution also calls on the international community, including OIC member states and philanthropic organizations in the Islamic world, to come up with the necessary funds to stop transmission completely by 2005.

The OIC resolution on polio eradication follows concerns raised at the World Health Assembly in May 2003 by many OIC countries, including Bangladesh, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, about the risk ongoing transmission anywhere poses to polio-free countries, further highlighting the need to quickly eradicate this disease. It is the latest in a series of public support statements, after leaders of the African Union and G8 countries re-affirmed commitments to eradicate polio at their respective summits earlier in 2003.

However, experts warn that the risk to the successful completion of polio eradication is magnified by a global funding gap of US$210m, needed for eradication activities through 2005.