Canada announces $151 million for polio eradication, after outbreak in Gaza Strip

A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Abdel Kareem Hana / AP Photo)

Canada is setting aside $151 million for the fight to eradicate polio worldwide.

International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen announced the news at a Rotary International conference in Toronto.

The funding comes a month after Palestinian officials announced the first cases of polio in 25 years in the Gaza Strip.

The funding will support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which provides vaccines to children worldwide, including more than a half-million kids in Gaza.

Hussen's office says the cash should help "the most vulnerable populations" such as girls in conflict situations where there is limited health-care access.

The World Health Organization says the world is on the verge of eradicating polio, with a 99 per cent drop in cases since 1988.

Over the last 24 years, various Canadian governments have spent $1 billion on the effort.

"Together, we will end polio and build a healthier future for children everywhere," Hussen wrote in a statement.

There is no cure for polio, which can cause paralysis that tends to be permanent, including to the muscles used to breathe.

Still, vaccination campaigns have come under strain as humanitarian crises and the COVID-19 pandemic divert resources and make it harder to inoculate children.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.