Rotary Club of Cary-Grove works to raise awareness of polio with Route 14 billboard

As part of Rotary International's work aimed at eradicating polio, the Rotary Club of Cary-Grove is looking to call attention to this year's World Polio Day with a billboard on Route 14.

The billboard, which will be located at the intersection with Jandus Cutoff in Cary, is meant to raise awareness about the disease, a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under age 5, according to a news release from the Cary-Grove rotary chapter.

The virus spreads from person to person typically through contaminated water. Oct. 24 is recognized internationally as World Polio Day.

Rotary International is a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, according to the initiative's website.

Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from polio, according to the release. Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.