General for Polio, Emergencies and Country Collaboration, Dr. Bruce Aylward welcomed the contribution: "This new commitment from Saudi Arabia enables the last steps towards the eradication of this ancient disease, and we hope it will inspire others in the region to bring their considerable financial and political support to ending polio and protecting the most vulnerable." Polio was endemic in more than half the world's countries but an effective vaccine was introduced in the 1950s and 1960s, but in 1988 an estimated 350,000 polio cases still occurred annually. Since the launch of the GPEI that year, polio cases globally have decreased by over 99% by 2010, when fewer than 1,350 cases were reported globally during the course of the year. “The fight against polio is a global challenge for all of us,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. “Its defeat will be a ringing victory for all of humanity - marking only the second time in history a disease has been eradicated. With this generous donation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we move closer to achieving this goal, and to saving millions of people from the threat of this crippling disease." he added.
