Global Vaccine Summit organizers hope to obtain increased commitments to end polio

"The Global Vaccine Summit will be held on April 24 and 25 under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and in partnership with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," The National reports. The meeting will focus on polio elimination, with organizers expected to announce what they hope "will be the final eradication strategy," the newspaper notes.

"We think it's a seminal moment. ... It's an opportunity for leaders from around the world to come together and pledge their support to try to immunize every child everywhere to make sure that children in poor countries have an opportunity to have a healthy start in life," Joe Cerrell, director for Europe and the Middle East at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said, adding, "What we're trying to do is to secure the resources necessary to make sure there's predictable financing to support the plan," according to The National. "The polio campaign will establish systems for routine immunization programs that can save children from other diseases," the newspaper notes (Zacharias, 3/7).