10/21/2026
World Polio Day is October 24!
Rotary Club of Peterborough - Canada, Rotary Club of Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield, and Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha are joining Rotarians around the world in raising awareness and funds to help finish the fight against a disease that once paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children each year.
Since 1988, cases of wild polio have declined by more than 99.9 per cent worldwide. Through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, more than three billion children have been vaccinated, and an estimated 20 million people have been spared paralysis. Wild poliovirus remains endemic in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, although outbreaks involving other forms of poliovirus continue to occur elsewhere, particularly in communities with low immunization rates.
Locally, clubs are recognizing World Polio Day in different ways:
Rotary Club of Peterborough – Meals for Polio
The Rotary Club of Peterborough will hold a special Meals for Polio luncheon on Monday, October 26, at the Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne Street West, Peterborough. Ten dollars from every meal purchased will be donated to Rotary’s PolioPlus Fund in support of global polio eradication efforts.
The meeting will feature guest speaker Murray Miskin, founder of Miskin Law Professional Corporation, who will present “The Interface of Marketing & Philanthropy.”
Rotary Club of Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield – Cornholio for Polio
BEL Rotary is inviting the community to join the fun at its Cornholio for Polio event on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at John’s Independent in Bridgenorth and Ennismore Foodland. The co****le toss will feature opportunities to win prizes donated by local Selwyn businesses while raising awareness of polio immunization and eradication efforts.
Rotary International launched its PolioPlus program in 1985, making the eradication of polio one of its highest priorities. Today, Rotary works alongside the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Gates Foundation, and national governments as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
While polio is no longer endemic in Canada, maintaining high vaccination rates remains essential. The virus can spread across borders, and until polio is eradicated everywhere, communities with inadequate immunization coverage remain at risk.
World Polio Day is an opportunity to recognize how far the world has come and to remind communities that the work is not yet finished.
