This article in The New York Times describes the prevalence of polio in certain regions of the world as well as recent efforts to mitigate the continued presence of the disease. Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan continue to suffer the effects of polio, even though the vaccine for this devastating disease exists and worldwide efforts to eradicate the disease have been ongoing for over twenty years. On Wednesday, January 21, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International, and the British and German governments disclosed the release of $630 million to help keep the cause of polio eradication active for the coming years. This large donation mainly targets the four remaining countries where polio epidemics still plague the people as well as the other regions to which this disease has spread.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/world/africa/22polio.html?ref=world
