Tom Harkin: “I rise today to thank the ranking member of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, my distinguished colleague from…”

“I rise today to thank the ranking member of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, my distinguished colleague from Vermont, Senator Leahy, for his support of the ongoing efforts to eradicate polio by 2005, and especially thank him for working to include language recommending $30 million in the Senate report accompanying the FY 2004 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. The international effort to eradicate polio has made tremendous progress. Since the global initiative began in 1988, more than 3 million children in the developing world, who would otherwise have become paralyzed with polio, are walking because they have been immunized. The number of polio cases has fallen from an estimated 350,000 in 1988 to approximately 1,500 cases in 2002. The target date for the last case of polio is 2005. When the world is certified polio free, immunizations can cease and the U.S. will save $350 million annually while the world will save at least $1.5 billion. The major partners in the global polio eradication effort have joined with national governments around the world in an unprecedented demonstration of commitment to this historic public health goal. As the initiative runs its course, total victory can only be guaranteed through continued and unwavering commitment to the goal of a polio-free world.”