Expert opinion

	03.12.06 Victoria Panova G8 research group, University of Toronto, Director for Russia
	03.12.06 Mona Bricke German NGO Forum Environment and Development
	03.12.06 Nigel Martin Montreal International Rorum (FIM)
	02.12.06 John Kirton Head of G8 Research Group, University of Toronto
	02.12.06 Regina Gunter Head of the WWF Germany

4. Fight against the poliomyelitis

Million USD to Fight Poliomyelitis

Russia is ready to invest 4 million USD for the universal fight against poliomyelitis.

According to the Russian Finance Ministry, Russia has already transferred 1 million USD to the WHO’s Global Initiative to fight poliomyelitis.

According to Galina Lipskaya, WHO coordinator in Copenhagen, “The poliomyelitis extermination is the unexampled global program where all countries of the World take part. We speak now not only about the children’s vaccination, but also about the total extermination of poliomyelitis and its pathogens to guarantee the victory over this dangerous disease”.

The financing of this Global program is being implemented by the coalition of partner organizations including WHO, Rotary clubs, UNICEF, American center for diseases control, Asian and European governments. The international community has already invested over 3 billion USD to the program. As a result over 1 million children were prevented from dying and over 5 million children from invalidity. The Russian government joined the G8 countries having taken obligation to invest 4 million USD as the program support during next 3 years.

This entero-virus disease affected 350 thousand people in 125 countries in 1998. Today, 15 years after the adoption of the Global program the poliomyelitis is perceptible only in 6 countries – India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Niger, Egypt and Afghanistan.

The fight against poliomyelitis is not only the financing vaccination in the risk countries. The special WHO "stop teams", including physicians, epidemiologists, practical health services experts from different states of the World, participate in mass immunization campaigns and sanitary inspections in the risk countries.

Expert opinion

	02.12.06 Halter Marek Le College de France
	02.12.06 Olivier Giscard d’Estaing COPAM, France
	02.12.06 Mika Ohbayashi Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliсy
	02.12.06 Bill Pace World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
	01.12.06 Peter I. Hajnal Toronto University, G8 Research Group