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BAXTER
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION GRANTS $200,000 TO GLOBAL POLIO ERADICATION INITIATIVE
Grant Supports
an International Partnership of Public and Private Sector Organizations
Working to Achieve a Final Victory over Polio by 2005
NEW DELHI, India,
July 29, 2002 -- The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic
arm of Baxter International Inc., has awarded a $200,000 grant to the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which is spearheaded by the World
Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF). The grant, which will be given over three years, was recognized
Friday evening, July 26, at the Annual Polio Orientation and Planning
Meeting in New Delhi, India, which is being sponsored by Rotary International.
The partners in this global initiative have led a massive, 15-year campaign
that has driven the incidence of polio to its lowest point in history
-- only 480 cases were reported globally in 2001. The Baxter International
Foundation grant will support a final push toward total eradication by
specifically funding polio immunization and laboratory surveillance in
New Delhi, one of the remaining spots for poliovirus transmission. The
city attracts large migrant populations from polio endemic areas of the
country, and the many high-rise apartment buildings make door-to-door
immunization campaigns difficult.
The goal of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is to eradicate polio
from all corners of the world by the end of the year 2005. Only 10 polio
endemic countries remain, yet intensity of poliovirus transmission is
highest in India. The other endemic countries are: Afghanistan, Angola,
Egypt, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.
"We are grateful for the support that The Baxter International Foundation
is providing for polio eradication efforts," said Timothy E. Wirth,
president of the United Nations Foundation. "They have set a tremendous
example to those in the private sector by demonstrating the difference
their gift can make in eradicating this terrible disease." The United
Nations Foundation and the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International jointly
sponsor a private sector funding arm that supports the WHO program.
The Baxter International Foundation funds will be used in New Delhi to
strengthen laboratory evaluation of suspected polio cases, purchase vaccines,
raise awareness of routine immunization and support operations during
immunization drives. A recent such immunization drive targeting more than
2 million households in New Delhi required the participation of approximately
15,600 trained health workers and 8,500 volunteers.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause paralysis and
sometimes death. As there is no cure for polio, the best defense is vaccination.
The global polio eradication effort has led to a 99 percent reduction
in polio cases since the program was launched in 1988. The Americas were
declared polio free in 1994, followed by the Western Pacific region in
2000. The European region was certified polio free in June 2002. Once
eradicated, polio will be the second disease after smallpox to be eradicated
worldwide.
The Baxter International Foundation contributed to polio eradication in
the Americas by granting $250,000 in 1986 to efforts in Mexico.
"The Baxter International Foundation is proud to be part of this
worldwide effort that will protect children for all time from the devastating
disease of polio," said Patricia Morgan, executive director, The
Baxter International Foundation. "The polio eradication program is
an outstanding world model of what can be achieved when public and private
organizations partner to fight a public health problem."
As the largest private sector contributor and volunteer arm of the Global
Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has provided on-site volunteer support
during national immunization campaigns and committed over $493 million
to the protection of more than 2 billion children in 122 countries.
Rotary International was founded in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois, and is
the world's first and one of the largest non-profit humanitarian service
organizations. It is comprised of 1.2 million members working in over
30,100 clubs in 163 countries.
As the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., The Baxter International
Foundation helps to increase access to health care in the United States
and other countries. In 2001, foundation grants totaling $4.8 million
improved access to care for children, the uninsured and the elderly, helped
prevent child abuse and neglect, promoted health education, expanded education
opportunities for health-care providers, and helped victims of global
disasters.
Baxter International Inc. is a global medical products and services company
that, through its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people
with life-threatening conditions. Baxter employs approximately 550 people
in India at its facilities in Alathur, Manesar and Waluj.
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
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- Media Contacts:
- Tanya Tyska, Baxter, 847-948-3256
Vivian Fiore, Rotary International, 847-866-3234
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