Turnbull gives $72 mill. $36 mil to world bank

Malcolm throwing money around like confetti over in europe.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has joined other Commonwealth leaders and UN chief Ban Ki-Moon in committing to the eradication of polio.


At the Commonwealth leaders' meeting in Malta on Saturday Mr Turnbull said he was disappointed the crippling disease had not yet been wiped out but Australia remained committed to doing that.


He said Australia was putting in another $72 million to the eradication effort - $36 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and another $36 million to the World Bank to support vaccination programs in countries where polio had been eradicated to ensure it did not return.


"We are very committed to this campaign and this initiative. It's of vital importance to the people of every country," he said.


The GPEI was formed in 1988 to eradicate polio at a time when around 350,000 cases of polio were crippling and killing children in 125 countries every year.


Since then hundreds of millions of children have received polio vaccines and an estimated 13 million people have been saved from lifelong paralysis.


This year only Pakistan and Afghanistan have had cases of wild poliovirus while all African countries have now gone a year without a single case.


Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in Malta on Saturday that the number of polio cases in his country had been significantly reduced and the aim was to vaccinate every child and eliminate polio altogether.


It's estimated that it will cost an additional $US1.5 billion to end polio and ensure hundreds of millions of children are vaccinated multiple times against the disease.


"Polio struck down many of my generation and now we are on the verge of striking down polio," said UN chief Ban.