The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation identified polio as a major global health priority through vaccine programs.
The foundation has supported international efforts to eradicate polio, including vaccine delivery, disease surveillance, and partnerships with governments and health organizations. Polio is caused by polioviruses and can lead to permanent paralysis, although vaccination can prevent infection and disease.
The foundation’s work forms part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which began in 1988. The initiative brought together national governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Rotary International, and other partners.
Polio is sometimes grouped with other diseases receiving major foundation funding, including malaria and tuberculosis. However, polio has been especially associated with the foundation’s eradication campaigns and its support for routine immunization systems.