Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. Tuesday was a great day in global health – the certification of the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa.
This remarkable effort was started by Rotary International in the 1980s, and advanced by Nelson Mandela in 1996, with the launch of a campaign to “Kick Polio Out of Africa”.
At the time, polio paralyzed 75,000 children every year.Although sadly he is not here to see it, we have realized Madiba’s dream.This extraordinary achievement has only been possible because of the determination of the people and governments of Africa, and the strong partnership between WHO, Rotary, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Gavi and the US CDC.