UK Set to Cut Funding for Polio Eradication by 95%

From the Telegraph – 

The UK government is set to almost entirely cut funding for polio eradication despite the world being tantalisingly close to ending the disease, which mainly affects children.

The UK will cut its funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) by 95 per cent, from £100m to £5m, according to a report by Devex.

The cut comes amid a swathe of funding reductions as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) tackles the move to slash overseas aid spending from 0.7 per cent of gross national income to 0.5 per cent. 

On Tuesday, the Telegraph revealed that UK funding to help the world’s poorest get access to clean water will be cut by 80 per cent. 

Polio, which remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, causes paralysis and mainly affects children.