The Rotary clubs of Red Deer are hosting a World Polio Day event at the Welikoklad Event Centre on Wednesday.
The public is invited to hear first hand from a polio survivor and watch this year’s livestream program from Philadelphia featuring global health experts and celebrities sharing the progress to eradicate polio.
Poliovirus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis.
There is no cure, but there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and its partners use to immunize more than 2.5 billion children worldwide.
Rotary has contributed more than $1.7 billion US to ending polio since 1985, including more than $3 million from the local district.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event gets underway at 7 p.m. Admission is free.