I am so weary of watching the news from around the world. It is simply depressing. I needed some good news and found it this morning in a report by the National Polio Emergency Operations Center.
Did you know that since the GPEI (Global Polio Eradication Initiative) was launched 30 years ago, we are witnessing an astonishing 99.9 per cent decrease in the global polio burden? The polio eradication network showed remarkable resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the pandemic has resulted in vast and varying disruptions to essential health services.
That said, the fact that the world can come together for only the second time in history (since smallpox) to eradicate a disease gives me so much hope. While many of us feel the pinch of inflation, and can complain about the rising costs of food, we still find our way to a warm bed at night and manage to have three solid meals a day. Not so for so many people around the globe, and all the more reason that we must #KeepThePromise by increasing our international assistance envelope by $1.9 billion over the next three years.
In light of all of the bad news we hear daily, let’s keep a few good news stories coming by honouring our commitments globally.
Connie Lebeau
Victoria
