Abu Dhabi buildings light up to mark World Polio Day

Abu Dhabi buildings lit up in honour of World Polio Day in a show of support for UAE-backed efforts to eradicate the deadly disease.

The landmark Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) headquarters displayed the message  #endpolio, with the same slogan was emblazoned on the facade of the Abu Dhabi Global Market ahead of the annual commemoration, held on October 24.

World Polio Day celebrates the huge strides that have been made to tackle the debilitating disease in recent years - and also acts as a global rallying cry to governments and health officials to do more.

After a rapid decline of polio cases recorded across the globe - from 350,000 in 1988 to just 22 by 2017 - numbers are on the rise last year.

The World Health Organisation warned there is set to be hundreds of thousands of new polio cases every year in the next decade unless leaders show “unwavering commitment” to tackle the debilitating disease, the World Health Organisation said.

The warning came as 72 new cases of polio were recorded in Pakistan this year, the highest number since 2015. The number is an increase on the 33 cases found in both Pakistan and Afghanistan last year.

The UN health body said that, despite the potentially fatal infectious disease now only being found in small pockets across the two countries, there is no room for complacency if polio is truly to be overcome

The UAE has been leading efforts to eliminate the disease with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, personally donating more than $167 million (Dh613) million towards eradication campaigns since 2011.