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| REMARKS BY: | TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES |
| PLACE: | The Wyeth Foundation Polio Recognition Event, Geneva, Switzerland |
| DATE: | May 13, 2002 |
Polio eradication is important for both humanitarian and public health reasons. When the polio eradication initiative began in 1988, an estimated 350,000 children were paralyzed from the disease each year. In 2001, fewer than 600 cases of polio occurred worldwide.
Equally important, nearly four million children who would have been paralyzed are instead walking because they were immunized against polio. This is an enormous achievement that should make all us of proud.
As with smallpox eradication, ridding the world of polio depends entirely on successful partnerships. Our partners in this initiative include Rotary International, UNICEF, WHO, and governments of countries where polio is endemic. We also receive key support from donor governments, private foundations, NGOs and corporate partners. Time does not allow me to acknowledge all the partners who deserve our thanks, but suffice it to say that this sort of collaboration defines the term "public-private partnership."
The United States is committed to its role as a major technical and funding partner to assure that polio eradication occurs quickly -- through our Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Let me close by noting how fitting it is that we meet in front of the FDR bust. Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio at the age of 39 in 1921. With extraordinary bravery and determination, he did not let the disease defeat him - he went on to become one of the most influential American Presidents and world leaders of all time.
FDR said something very appropriate to our gathering today. "In time of need," he said, "we must all stand together, or we may all stand alone." That principle is as true today as when President Roosevelt first said it. And it's why the kind of public-private partnerships I've been describing are so essential.
Thank you all again so very much for your commitment and compassion. And thanks very much to Wyeth for their contribution and to the World Health Organization for the opportunity to speak with you today.