Abu Dhabi - During the month of October, the international multimedia exhibition Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease will bring the story of global disease elimination and eradication efforts to Abu Dhabi. The exhibition is a precursor to the Global Health Forum, titled Reaching the Last Mile – Mobilizing Together to Eliminate Infectious Disease, that is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The exhibition, created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will be open to the public from October 16 to November 14 at Al Maryah Island's Promenade, free of charge.

Through images, audiovisual content, scientific information and experiential and interactive exhibitions, Countdown to Zero will give adults and children the opportunity to learn about the UAE’s longstanding leadership and significant commitment to disease eradication. The exhibition explores the ongoing progress to eradicate Guinea worm disease and polio and achieve local elimination of river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, and malaria in affected countries, and the challenge of diseases that currently cannot be eradicated, including trachoma.

“Guinea worm disease is set to become the second human disease in history to be eradicated thanks to the UAE’s ongoing contributions and the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the collaboration of strategic partners to efforts aimed at disease eradication. Thanks to coordinated global efforts, led by The Carter Center, its prevalence has fallen from an estimated 3.5 million in 1986 to less than a dozen cases so far this year – a remarkable story of achievement,” said Nassar al Mubarak, director at the Crown Prince Court.

“Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease aims to raise awareness on the means to address global health challenges and increase international and regional efforts to eradicate debilitating diseases that hinder growth, development, and prosperity”, he added.

“Eradicating devastating diseases contributes to economic and social development in many impoverished regions of the world,” said Dr. Donald Hopkins, co-curator and Carter Center Guinea Worm Eradication Program special advisor. “As a global philanthropist and humanitarian, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s active partnership and consistent support for The Carter Center’s initiatives have contributed invaluably to the progress we have made. Countdown to Zero is one tangible outcome of ongoing collaboration between global partners, and we are very pleased to bring this new, expanded iteration of the exhibition to the region for the first time.”

Following popular residencies in New York, London, and Atlanta, Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease comes to Abu Dhabi in collaboration with The Carter Center, a leading not-for-profit organization with a focus on public health and disease eradication, founded in Atlanta in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

"The exhibition resonates with so many people because at its core Countdown to Zero reveals the triumph of our collective sense of humanity,” said co-curator Dr. Mark Siddall of the American Museum of Natural History. “Whether diseases are eradicated with vaccines or drugs or just by filtering water, incredible things are achieved because people, whole communities, work together for common good."

The UAE’s partnership with The Carter Center began in 1990 with a commitment from His Highness the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE, to support efforts to combat Guinea worm disease. It has since continued through a series of generous contributions from His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces that have supported The Carter Center’s efforts to eradicate Guinea worm disease. Through this philanthropic commitment, the UAE is among the campaign’s leading global donors.

Since 2011, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nayhan has personally committed US$235 million to global efforts to eliminate deadly and debilitating diseases, including US$205 million towards the eradication of polio and contributions to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership committed to saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing access to vaccines, and US$30 million to malaria elimination.

Versions of Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease have been exhibited at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in England.

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© Press Release 2017