Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
I would like to begin by expressing my deep condolences to His Highness the President on the passing of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the brother of the Crown Prince.
On behalf of WHO and the global health family, I send my best wishes to His Highness, and to all the people of the UAE.
Your Excellency Reem Al Hashimi,
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues and friends,
There are few greater gifts we can give future generations than to eradicate a disease.
We ourselves know what that’s like.
Smallpox was only officially declared eradicated in 1980 – less than 40 years ago. And yet already, it is becoming a distant memory.
Children born today have no need to fear it, and will never suffer from it.
Eradicating preventable diseases has been part of WHO’s DNA since the beginning.
Our constitution says one of our jobs is to stimulate and advance work to eradicate epidemic, endemic and other diseases.
And it remains a key priority.
In our current 5-year strategic plan, we have committed to accelerating the elimination and eradication of high-impact communicable diseases.
Together with our partners, we have many causes for optimism.
Every year, more than 1 billion people are treated for a neglected tropical disease, and last year, 8 countries eliminated at least one NTD.
Take guinea worm. In the mid-1980s there were almost 3.5 million cases of guinea-worm in 20 countries. Last year, there were only 28 human cases, in just three countries.
Onchocerciasis has been eliminated in 4 countries in the Americas;
Lymphatic filariasis has been eliminated as a public health problem in 16 countries;
Trachoma has been eliminated in 9 countries;
The annual number of sleeping sickness cases has fallen from more than 7,000 in 2012 to fewer than 1,000 in 2018.
And Algeria and Argentina have become the latest countries to eliminate malaria.
But although malaria deaths have halved in the past 20 years, progress has stalled, and in some countries cases are now increasing, particularly in Africa.
Last year, WHO and the RBM Partnership launched the “High Burden, High Impact” initiative, to reinvigorate the response in the most-affected countries.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group on Malaria Eradication and the Lancet Commission on Malaria Eradication both recently published their reports on what we need to do to realize our shared vision of a malaria-free world.
We have also made incredible progress against polio.
In just three decades, the number of polio cases globally has been reduced by 99.9%.
18 million people are alive today because of this historic effort. This is the miracle of vaccines.
The Americas have just celebrated 25 years polio-free, and with progress towards a polio-free Africa, 2020 could be the year when five out of six WHO Regions will be declared free of wild-polio virus.
Just a month ago, alongside the United Arab Emirates Ambassador in Geneva, I had the great honour to announce the global eradication of wild poliovirus type 3.
Polio has been stopped even in conflict zones such as Syria, and in countries like India, once considered the most technically difficult place to end polio.
Wild poliovirus is now confined to just two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan.
All of this is thanks to the commitment and cooperation of governments and donors, and especially the incredible efforts of health workers.
Last week was bring-your-kid-to-work day at WHO headquarters.
We asked one staff’s child to write about what it would mean to grow up in a world without polio. His name is Sebastian, he’s 11 years old, and the following is what he wrote:
“Children my age in Europe, Africa, Australia, the Americas and most of Asia are being saved from this dreadful disease. And that includes me.
So you tell yourself, most of the children on the planet are vaccinated.
But that is the wrong thing to say. What you should be asking yourself is, is that enough?
Because all it takes is for one child to spread polio around an entire country.”
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
We have come so far. But we have not yet reached our destination.
The last mile is the hardest mile. The virus is strong.
We need continued political commitment, and continued funding, to finish the job.
Crucially, the infrastructure we have built must not die with polio.
They’re vital investments in stronger health systems and universal health coverage.
The same health workers who deliver polio vaccines have helped fight Ebola, cholera and other outbreaks. They have worked to address malnutrition, provide measles vaccinations, deworming tablets, and malaria bed nets.
It’s a great example of how a disease-specific programme can contribute to stronger health systems, and build the foundations of universal health coverage.
We can and will make polio history.
One day, children will no longer need to be vaccinated against polio, just as they are no longer vaccinated against smallpox.
But we know that even when polio is eradicated, even when guinea worm is eradicated, even when malaria is eradicated, people will continue to suffer from many other threats.
Polio, guinea worm and malaria are all symptoms of a deeper sickness.
Which is why ultimately, our fight is not against a single disease.
Our fight is against inequality. Our fight is against a world in which people get sick and die simply because they are poor, or female, or a refugee.
Our fight is for a fundamental human right – the right to health – for everyone, everywhere.
I thank you. Shukraan jazeelan.