The Rotary Club of San Marcos is sponsoring a Pints for Polio fundraiser at Zelicks Ice House on Wednesday, October 2 from 4:30-7 p.m. Zelicks is located at 222 W. Hopkins.  

 

The goal of the event is to raise money for the polio vaccination of children in parts of the world where the virus is still present, including most recently Gaza in Palestine. 

 

Rotary International has committed $500 million in partnership with the World Health Organization to vaccinate children in Gaza, after cases of the disease appeared recently.  Regular vaccination programs for children in Gaza have been interrupted by war there.

San Marcos Rotary President Jessica Cousineau said that donations for polio are being matched 2 for 1 by the Gates Foundation. The club hopes to raise at least $1,500 which, with the match, will provide $4,500 for the program.

 

The club is tying its fundraiser to World Polio Day on October 24. World Polio Day was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.

North and South America have been free of wild polio for 30 years. The only recent cases have involved individuals who became infected while traveling overseas. Until the recent Gaza cases, the only countries with wild polio in recent years have been Pakistan and Afghanistan, where conflicts have made vaccination efforts difficult.

Zelicks Ice House is the major sponsor of the Pints for Polio event. There is no admission charge and donations by attendees are voluntary.