WHO Alarmed Over US Funding Cuts Impacting Polio Eradication

“If funding shortfall persists, eradication efforts may face significant delays,” warns WHO official.

The global fight to eradicate poliovirus could be severely delayed due to US funding cuts amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official has warned.

The WHO collaborates with partners like UNICEF and the Gates Foundation to combat polio.

However, the US’s decision to withdraw support from the global health body has disrupted these efforts, including the suspension of cooperation with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last week, the State Department terminated 90% of USAID’s grants globally, including UNICEF’s polio grant, as part of President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy.

Hamid Jafari, WHO’s director of the polio eradication programme for the Eastern Mediterranean region, revealed that the partnership expected $133 million from the US this year, which is now missing.

The region includes Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic.

“If the funding shortfall continues, it may potentially delay eradication and result in more children becoming paralysed,” Jafari stated, highlighting that prolonging the eradication process would increase costs.

Efforts are underway to find alternative funding sources to sustain critical personnel and surveillance operations.

However, Jafari expressed hope that the US would reconsider its decision.

UNICEF declined to comment, while a Gates Foundation spokesperson acknowledged that no organisation could fully bridge the gap left by the US. Saudi Arabia recently contributed $500 million to the eradication initiative.

The polio eradication partnership is already facing a $2.4 billion shortfall through 2029, as the global community anticipates that eliminating the disease will take longer and cost more than initially projected.