East Midlands MEP signs Written Declaration to support polio eradication

East Midlands Conservative MEP Emma McClarkin has given her support to the campaign to eradicate polio.

She has recently added her signature to a Written Declaration in the European Parliament, which calls on the European Commission to “make a continued commitment to supporting polio eradication as a priority in its future development actions, and to allocate appropriate levels of funding to polio vaccination campaigns and surveillance over the next four years.”

The Written Declaration has been circulated around members of the European Parliament, and it is hoped that more than half will sign in order to bring the matter to the attention of the European Commission.

Miss McClarkin said:

“We need to stamp polio out. Europe has now been polio-free for over 10 years, but until it is eradicated world-wide, the threat of further outbreaks cannot be discounted.

“Although polio cases have been reduced by 99%, dealing with the remaining 1% is difficult and costly, with polio still endemic in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

“However, with the right commitment and global efforts, eradicating polio by 2018 is achievable, with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative having this as the goal. So I’m calling on the European Commission to continue to support eradication, so that no child ever again suffers from it.”