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ABU DHABI/WAM
Landmarks across Abu Dhabi illuminated on Thursday, October 24, in support of World Polio Day, an annual moment that aims to galvanise momentum towards global efforts to eradicate the disease.
Buildings and structures across the UAE capital were lit in blue and purple to raise awareness of polio – a preventable and debilitating disease – and to reaffirm the UAE’s commitment to stamping it out globally.
The colour purple represents the dye used to mark the finger of a child to indicate they have received their oral polio vaccine.
The landmarks included: Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM); Mubadala Tower; Emirates Palace, Khalifa University; and Al Ain Municipality, among others.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that once affected hundreds of thousands of children worldwide. As recently as three decades ago, polio was present in over 125 countries and paralysed an estimated 1,000 children per day.
Polio is one of only a few diseases that can be completely eradicated. Aided by routine immunisation campaigns, cases of wild poliovirus have decreased by 99.9 percent since 1988. Today, only two countries remain endemic for wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Under the leadership of the President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE is a global leader in polio eradication, supporting and enabling the delivery of lifesaving polio vaccines for millions of vulnerable and hard-to-reach children.
Since 2011, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has personally committed more than US$381 million to support global efforts to combat polio, with funding distributed through Reaching the Last Mile.