Abu Dhabi Illuminates Landmarks to Support World Polio Day 2024

ABU DHABI: Landmarks across Abu Dhabi were illuminated on Thursday, October 24, in support of World Polio Day 2024, an annual event aimed at bolstering global efforts to eradicate polio. The initiative saw buildings and structures in the UAE capital lit in blue and purple to raise awareness of the preventable disease and to reaffirm the UAE's commitment to its global eradication. According to Emirates News Agency, the color purple represents the dye used to mark the finger of a child who has received the oral polio vaccine. Notable landmarks participating in the event included Abu Dhabi Global Market, Mubadala Tower, Emirates Palace, Khalifa University, and Al Ain Municipality, among others. Polio, a highly infectious disease, once affected hundreds of thousands of children worldwide. Three decades ago, it was prevalent in over 125 countries, causing paralysis in an estimated 1,000 children each day. However, aided by routine immunization campaigns, cases of wild poliovirus have decreased by 99.9 percent si nce 1988. Presently, only Afghanistan and Pakistan remain endemic for the virus. Under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE has emerged as a global leader in polio eradication efforts, facilitating the delivery of polio vaccines to millions of vulnerable and hard-to-reach children. Since 2011, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has personally committed over US$381 million to support global polio eradication efforts, with funding managed through the Reaching the Last Mile initiative.