Presented during the 2017 Presidential Peace Conference in Atlanta. Track A, Session 3: The Fight Against Polio

1. Polio Partnerships and Beyond:
What We Have Learned
and What’s Next?
Rotary Convention, Atlanta
June 10, 2017

2. Global Partnership
to Eradicate Polio

3. Celebrity & Corporate PartnersCelebrity & Corporate Partners
Ms Martina Hingis
Mr Dikembe
Mutombo
Ms Mia Farrow
Mr Ted Turner
Mr Bill Gates

4. Why Partnerships Are Important
• Political supportPolitical support
• Funding and other resourcesFunding and other resources
• Staffing and volunteersStaffing and volunteers
• Ideas and innovationIdeas and innovation
• Flexibility and effectivenessFlexibility and effectiveness
• Inadequate government fundingInadequate government funding
• Increased funding in private sectorIncreased funding in private sector

5. How to makeHow to make
partnerships workpartnerships work
• Agreement on basic strategiesAgreement on basic strategies
• Common overriding objectivesCommon overriding objectives
• Recognition of respectiveRecognition of respective
strengthsstrengths
• Flexibility and innovationFlexibility and innovation
• Shared credit for achievementsShared credit for achievements
• Trust and RespectTrust and Respect

6. What Disease(s) Next to Target Globally?
Most Obvious Frontline Candidates for
Transitioning of Polio Assets:
• Measles – Still a major cause of <5 child deaths
 >130,000 deaths per year
• Rubella – The leading infectious disease cause of
birth defects (“congenital rubella syndrome”)
 >100,000 cases per year
These can and should be linked closely together (“2 for 1”)
 Same vaccine (combined measles-rubella vaccine)
 Single fever/rash-illness global surveillance & lab network

7. Characteristics of the 16 Priority
“Polio Legacy” Countries with
>90% of Polio Infrastructure
• Most of the world’s unvaccinated and under-
vaccinated children
• Most of the world’s measles cases and deaths
• Most of the world’s rubella and CRS
Consequences of losing polio assets – risk that
immunization progress in these countries and
globally will be reversed

8. International Task Force for
Disease Eradication
WER -- February 12, 2016
• “The impending completion of polio eradication opens
a window of opportunity to devote greater attention to
measles and rubella eradication”
• “Countries should adapt infrastructure and resources
developed for polio eradication to measles and rubella
eradication”
• Such repurposing can help to sustain the essential
polio functions needed following polio certification—
i.e., in the longer term, measles-rubella elimination
can sustain polio eradication
GPEI Legacy Planning

9. Polio Eradication Lessons Learned That Can Be
Applied to Measles-Rubella Elimination
• Using a targeted disease initiative for broader health
communication
• Value of advanced state-of-the-art global lab network and
real-time disease surveillance
• Experience with reaching every child
• Outstanding program monitoring and use of accountability
frameworks for performance assessment
• Partnership coordination, advocacy, resource mobilization

10. Polio Eradication Lessons Learned That Can Be
Applied to Measles-Rubella Elimination
• Using a targeted disease initiative for broader health
communication
• Value of advanced state-of-the-art global lab network and
real-time disease surveillance
• Experience with reaching every child
• Outstanding program monitoring and use of accountability
frameworks for performance assessment
• Partnership coordination, advocacy, resource mobilization