Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates announced Monday that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged up to $300 million towards a three-year effort to fully eradicate polio around the world. The announcement came at the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta and is a partnership between the Gates Foundation and Rotary, who have partnered on polio eradication efforts for over a decade. Rotary will be responsible for raising $50 million each year for the next three years to support the effort, and the Gates Foundation will donate two dollars for every dollar raised to total $450 million. Once a major public health concern, Polio has been almost wiped out thanks to decades of public health campaigns and improved vaccines.
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