The Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) has launched a series of webisodes to raise awareness about the importance of eliminating infectious diseases around the world. The launch took place recently at a special screening at EXPO 2020 Dubai’s UAE Pavilion to coincide with the Health & Wellness Week at EXPO.
The series of four webisodes was produced as part of GLIDE’s mission to raise awareness of disease elimination and provides insights into global efforts to eliminate infectious diseases of poverty. The series profiles GLIDE’s partnerships and work across its current diseases of focus: malaria, polio, lymphatic filariasis, and river blindness, highlighting work in Pakistan, Cameroon, and the island of Hispaniola.
Polio: The Endgame is the first instalment in the commissioned webisode series. It focuses on how we are close to eradicating wild polio, which is endemic in only two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan. If efforts in these countries are successful, polio will be only the second human disease in history to be eradicated. The webisode follows a World Health Organization polio surveillance officer in Pakistan and the methods used to track transmission and conduct immunization campaigns to bring the world closer to polio eradication.
The remaining webisodes highlight efforts in eliminating river blindness, malaria and lymphatic filariasis across Africa and the Americas. The webisodes series can be watched in full through this link.
Malaria, polio and neglected tropical diseases such as river blindness and lymphatic filariasis continue to impact the lives of billions of people around the world, with devastating consequences on their health as well as on communities and economies. Eliminating these preventable infectious diseases would be a great human achievement and improve the lives and livelihood of people in nearly 100 countries.
Dr Maha Barakat, Director General of the Frontline Heroes Office and Board Member of GLIDE added: “NTDs cause immense suffering; yet these diseases can be controlled or eliminated with medical interventions, better sanitary provision, and education. The UAE has long been committed to ridding the world of preventable diseases, a vision which started with the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, who recognized the importance of investing in global health. GLIDE, being an initiative of the Crown Prince Court and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a direct continuation of Sheikh Zayed’s vision and we hope the webisodes encourage others to step up to the mark and play their role in enabling health for all.”
Simon Bland, Chief Executive Officer of GLIDE, commented: “We are pleased to launch these videos, which we hope will raise awareness of the efforts of dedicated global advocates and community workers to eliminate preventable infectious diseases. The webisodes provide a fresh look at disease elimination, and we are grateful to the many partners without whose involvement these stories would not have been told. As we launch this series amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and at a time when health is at the forefront of the world’s attention, we hope that these stories will resonate with the global community and help accelerate progress towards disease elimination.”
