Bill Gates commends India's efforts at polio eradication, HIV/AID

New Delhi, Nov 5 (UNI) Bill Gates, Chairman of the Microsoft Corporation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, today commended India's efforts to eradicate polio and tackle other public health issues, and gave a categorical assurance that his NGOs will
enhance support to the country's health problems, notwithstanding the global slowdown and its impact on American businesses.
"Polio can be successfully eradicated with India leading the way. Being successful in polio is of incredible importance to public health. So it is important we do everything possible to accelerate eradication", Mr Gates said addressing a Press Conference here.
The event was convened to highlight the role Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would play in future in reducing the incidence of health problems, like polio, HIV and Tobacco Control.
Mr Gates said India is one of the four countries in the world where polio was still endemic.
He said there were many reasons for optimism that India can prevail against polio and the country is pivotal to showing that eradication is possible.
Mr Gates said the global economic slowdown will impact on spending by American businesses, but assured that the NGO headed by him will not reduce spending on health programmes in India. If anything, its scale expanded and operations accelerated.
"Philanthropy becomes easier in a situation where there is no slowdown of economic activity", he said.
He was also hopeful that victory of Mr Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, will not mean any reduction in public health spending and its commitment to support developing countries on health issues.
"Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will continue to provide resources and voice for polio eradication efforts in India and other countries. Over the past year, the foundation has more than doubled its funding for polio eradication", he said.
Mr Gates said in addition to its tremendous vaccination activities, India was pioneering many efforts to improve public health. The recent ban on smoking in public places was a remarkable achievement.
"I am also excited about the potential of the country's scientific community to help develop new solutions to major health challenges, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS,' he said.
He said that he will relinquish most of his work in Microsoft and spend more time on health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
During his visit to India, Mr Gates observed surveillance, vaccination and outbreak response activities in Delhi, visited the family of a young girl who was recently diagnosed with polio, and met Indian health officials and polio experts.
Mr Gates lauded the extraordinary work of the Indian government and the ''Global Polio Eradication Initiative,'' which included Rotary International, UNICEF, World Health Organisation and the US Centre for Disease Control.
He expressed his gratitude to Indian parents and volunteers for their continued participation in immunisation campaigns to protect children from polio.
''Participating in immunisation drives can be a challenge for parents and caregivers--especially when rounds occur so frequently. But it is well worth the effort,'' he said.
To date, India has accounted for 35 per cent (496) of all polio cases worldwide. At this time last year, India accounted for 51 per cent (340 of all cases worldwide 689).
The Northern States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar acccount for 96.6 per cent of polio cases in India.
Mr Gates said large-scale polio vaccination campaign have been underway in these two states during the past three years However, frequent round and new strategies have been worked out to enhance current efforts and stop transmission as quickly as possible.
Mr Gates said not too long ago it was perceived that polio would be wiped out from India but there has been increase in the past few years, especially in cases relating to type I and type II strains.
He said that 'Avahan'-- the India AIDS initiatives of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation--has committed 258 million dollars over five years for HIV/AIDS prevention in India.
Money is distributed to six lead state level guarantees under the programme which in turns collaborate with 134 local NGOs to provide HIV prevention services across the states.
These are Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur and Nagaland.
The target groups for the 'Avahan' programme are--two lakh female sex workers and their clients; 60,000 men who have sex with men and transgender and 20,000 injecting drug users.
Mr Gates said that his foundation is guided by the belief that every life has equal value.
People often do not put their money where their mouth is.
Perhaps, Bill Gates belongs to the dwindling tribe of men who back what they believe in.