Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club to observe World Polio Day

World Polio Day is Saturday, Oct. 24 — the date picked to honor Jonas Salk (the founder of the polio vaccine) on his birthday. The Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club will be observing this day with a walk to End Polio Now, in conjunction with the Pacific Beach Rotaract Club. They will be wearing their End Polio Now shirts, sneakers and masks beginning at Powerhouse Park in Del Mar at 9 a.m. and walking down the beach. The group will be led by DMSB Foundation Chair Paul Butler, even though he just had knee replacement surgery.

(Courtesy)

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years, and the goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, they have reduced polio cases by 99.9% since they began vaccinating children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease.

Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and all of Africa became polio free just a few weeks ago. But Rotary knows it is crucial to continue the fight or within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. They’re committed to not letting this happen. DMSB Rotarians welcome those interested to join them at Powerhouse Park on Saturday, Oct. 24, after signing up at pacificbeachrotaract.org/what-we-do/virtual-polio-walk