Polio eradiction dream defered.

The world is closer to eradicating polio (The Polio Endgame, Washington Post editorial 6-11-12)  but we’ve been close now for over a decade.  In fact, it was targeted in 1990 to be eradicated by the year 2000.  Then 2003.  Now?…When we get around to it.  

There are several serious problems with this lackadaisical strategy.    

First, the polio virus is a moving target.  If it mutates to a degree that the current vaccine doesn’t work, all the work done so far will be wasted, and the campaign would need to start from scratch. 

 

Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only nations still harboring this viral terrorist but each of these nations have significant barriers to vaccine campaign cooperation.  Too many African’s still believe vaccines are a white man’s means of sterilizing blacks to prevent over population.   Immunization campaigns in Pakistan are now hampered by the CIA’s recent use of an undercover agent in a legitimate vaccination campaign in hope of finding DNA evidence of Osama Bin Ladin’s presence there. 

Afghanistan?  No explanation needed there.  And all it takes is just one region of Afghanistan, Pakistan or Nigeria to reject polio vaccination efforts for the virus to remain a global threat.

If saving lives and the prevention of human suffering isn’t enough…perhaps those not yet committed to funding polio eradication should look at the numbers regarding cost savings and debt reduction.   The eradication of Smallpox 30 years ago has yielded well over $30 billion in US taxpayer savings…from a one time US foreign aid investment of only $32 million ($3.2 million annually over 10 years).  That’s a thousand to one return.  Not bad for a global humanitarian UN lead effort.

But I guess those in congress have bigger fish to fry than a virus that largely strikes children 5 years and younger.

No economic security with national Sovereignty

As usual, Robert Samuelson (Washington Post 6-25-2012) clearly explains the economic problems we have and the unlikely possibility of resolving them anytime soon. What he doesn’t propose, but is self-evident in his simple explanation, is the solution available if there were a commitment by those in political power to resolve them. The primary barrier to global economic progress is the persistent ideological belief that ‘national sovereignty’ provides economic security. In a world where “everything feeds on everything else” but each nation sticks to it’s own “model” there is no solution. Never has been. Never will be. Another barrier linked to the insane reliance on national sovereignty for security is the belief that we are independent from the suffering of others and the global life support system we all share. Policy makers must value the health of people and the environment at least as much as corporate profits if they are serious about finding another ‘source of strong economic growth’. The current stalemate of “economic and social models” is politically induced insanity leading every nation to economic suicide. Independent policies in the US, the EU or China are simply incapable of “finding a path forward”.