Rotary Wexford Fundraiser for World Polio Day

The Rotary Club of Wexford will hold a special fundraising event for World Polio Day to raise awareness and much-needed funds for the global fight to eradicate polio.

This coffee and cake morning will take place at the Crown Quarter Hotel Garden Bar from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday, October 25th, offering the community a chance to unite for a cause that has long been a priority for Rotary International.

This year’s event holds particular significance as the global community mourns the loss of Aidan O’Leary, a passionate advocate for polio eradication. Dublin-born O’Leary served as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director of polio eradication until his death from a heart attack this year. His passing has left a profound void against this devastating disease, but his legacy lives on through the continued efforts to rid the world of polio.

“To honour Aidan’s memory, we are pushing harder than ever to raise awareness and funds,” said Maree Lyng, President of the Rotary Club of Wexford. “He dedicated his life to this mission; it’s important that we carry that torch forward, especially now when we are on the cusp of eradication.”

Polio remains endemic in just two countries—Afghanistan and Pakistan—but outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) continue to threaten progress. In the wake of O’Leary’s death, the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) made a landmark recommendation: an additional dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) should be added to the existing multiple doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV). This change is expected to significantly bolster immunity and prevent the spread of Circulating Vaccine Derived Poliovirus (cVDPV), as seen in Gaza this year, bringing the world one step closer to wiping out the disease.

“It’s bittersweet that this important recommendation came after Aidan’s passing,” continued Christopher Nial, the Rotary PolioPlus representative to the Island of Ireland. “We know he would have been incredibly proud of this major stride in the eradication effort. His work has brought us to this point, and we are determined to see it through.”

The Rotary Club of Wexford invites the entire community to join in this poignant moment of reflection and action. Every cup of coffee and slice of cake purchased will contribute to the global campaign to end polio; a mission Rotary has championed for over three decades.

All proceeds from the event will go directly to Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign. This campaign partners with the WHO, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to eliminate polio.