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Bill Gates to invest in Antwerp polio research

The founder of the software company Microsoft is giving 3 million euro to help finance a polio research project at Antwerp University. Bill Gates, one of the world’s richest men, hopes that polio can be completely eradicated by 2019.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contacted Antwerp University’s Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccinations (CEV). Bill Gates has invested in a new vaccine that has been developed by scientists in Indonesia.

The Antwerp University research centre will carry out a comparative study of the new vaccine and the existing polio vaccine.

In the developed world polio was eradicated decades ago. However, it still claims victims in the developing world.
CEV’s Professor Pierre Van Damme told the VRT that "Thanks to the work done by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, the polio vaccine is widely available in developing countries."

However, there are some risks that occur rarely when the current vaccine is orally administered. In exceptional circumstances vaccination can even lead to the illness developing.”

The aim is to eradicate polio completely by 2018-2019. This will have to be achieved with use of the new vaccine, as the existing vaccine will no longer be able to be used after April 2016.

Antwerp University is urgently looking for volunteers to test the new vaccine. Interested parties can apply be email: cev@uantwerpen.be.
 

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