0
LONDON: Bill Gates is again shifting his attention from the computer industry, describing eradicating polio as his top priority.
‘‘It’s got to get done now (otherwise) we will lose the opportunity,’’ the Microsoft founder told the Associated Press in an interview.
He warned that the world may be facing its last chance to get rid of the crippling disease.
Gates said that The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will announce a major donation to the effort at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday.
But public health experts warned that more money won’t solve all of the problems facing polio eradication.
D.A. Henderson, who led WHO’s smallpox eradication effort, questioned whether the right tools exist to get rid of the acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, pointing out that vaccines used to eradicate polio occasionally cause it, or spark entirely new outbreaks.
‘‘We need to think carefully whether it’s wise to divert resources from other health problems into polio eradication,’’ Henderson said.
Since the World Health Organization and partners began their initiative to get rid of polio in 1988, several eradication deadlines have been missed and the virus continues to spark explosive outbreaks.
In 2010, major polio epidemics broke out in Tajikistan, Pakistan, Angola, and Congo, yet in India and Nigeria, cases virtually stopped, giving officials reason for optimism.
Gates said that there will always be ‘‘ups and downs,’’ but scientists are determined to address any strategic problems rather than giving up.
‘‘Any other plan besides eradication involves hundreds of thousands of kids dying and getting paralyzed every year,’’ he added.
Others are not so optimistic. Scott Barrett, an economist at Columbia who studies polio, said if WHO’s next polio deadline — aimed at stopping the virus in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan by 2013 — is somehow missed it may be time to abandon efforts.
‘‘Eradication cannot continue indefinitely,’’ said Barrett. ‘‘The situation is very fragile and at some point the alternative needs to be examined more carefully.’’
But giving up on polio isn’t something Gates wants to consider.
‘‘There are lots of challenges, but we are going to be smart about this,’’ he said.
