Global polio eradication initiative may save $40-50bn
By ANITuesday, November 23, 2010
WASHINGTON - The global initiative to eradicate polio could provide net benefits of at least 40-50 billion dollars if transmission of wild polioviruses is interrupted within the next five years, according to a new study.
The study has provided the first rigorous evaluation of the benefits and costs of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)-the single largest project ever undertaken by the global health community.
The study, ‘Economic Analysis of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,’ considers investments made since the GPEI was formed in 1988 and those anticipated through 2035.
The study also reported that ‘add-on’ GPEI efforts improve health benefits and lead to even greater economic gains during the same time period.
“Polio eradication is a good deal, from both a humanitarian and an economic perspective. The GPEI prevents devastating paralysis and death in children and also allows developing countries and the world to realize meaningful financial benefits,” said Radboud Duintjer Tebbens, lead author of the study.
The findings are published in the journal Vaccine. (ANI)
