Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Run Health Drive for Hajj
Hajj pilgrims will get polio vaccines as part of this drive.
The disease control drive is part of a large initiative to eradicate polio.
The Gates Foundation revealed on Sunday, Apr. 25 will open a regional office in Riyadh to coordinate with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health.
Both parties will work to improve disease surveillance and sanitation. The Gates Foundation will also help the Ministry of Health manufacture low-cost vaccines and ensure the safety of millions of pilgrims during the Hajj season.
Saudi Arabia will also contribute $100 million to the Lives and Livelihoods Fund of the Gates Foundation, which is the largest multilateral development initiative in the Middle East.
The fund will work to advance primary healthcare and boost efforts to eliminate preventable infectious diseases.
