HR554: HR554 Nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign; 70th anniversary; recognize

25 LC 129 0274 House Resolution 554 By: Representatives Buckner of the 137th, Taylor of the 173rd, Newton of the 127th, Prince of the 132nd, Cooper of the 45th, and others A RESOLUTION Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign; and1 for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, seventy years ago, in 1954, the United States embarked on a historic public3 health initiative, the Polio Vaccination Campaign, marking the beginning of the end for a4 disease that had long afflicted children and adults, leaving thousands paralyzed or dead each5 year; and 6 WHEREAS, polio is a highly infectious disease which has existed for thousands of years,7 and primarily affects children under the age of five, causing p aralysis and death, and for8 which there is no known cure; and9 WHEREAS, through the groundbreaking work of many physicians and scientists, the10 development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine offered hope to millions of families11 across Georgia, the United States, and the world; and12 WHEREAS, Georgia played an important role in the campaign to st op polio, as President13 Franklin Roosevelt, who called Georgia "my second home," was himself a victim of polio14 H. R. 554 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0274 and sought therapies from the Warm Springs Institute in the 1930s and 1940s, and brought15 additional public attention to this dreaded disease; and16 WHEREAS, in the 1950s, the Talmage Memorial Hospital, now Medical College of Georgia17 Hospital, served as a central repository for the entire Southeast of iron lungs, the life-saving18 device that enabled paralyzed victims of polio to breathe; and19 WHEREAS, on April 12, 1955, the largest mass vaccination effort in United States history20 began, which ultimately led to the eradication of polio in the United States; and21 WHEREAS, President Dwight Eisenhower, whose administration play e d a k e y r o l e i n22 funding polio research and ensuring widespread distribution of the vaccine, stated "I think23 that this is one of the greatest events of our time"; and24 WHEREAS, this anniversary serves as a reminder of the power of science, medicine, and25 collective action in overcoming such a terrible and devastating disease, which affects26 children and stands as one of the greatest public health triumphs of the 20th century.27 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that28 the members of this body commemorate the 70th anniversary of th e nationwide Polio29 Vaccination Campaign and acknowledge and salute the tremendous accomplishments of all30 the scientists, physicians, public health personnel, parents, a nd others -many Georgians31 among them- who made this remarkable achievement possible.32 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized33 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution avai lable for distribution to the34 public and the press.35 H. R. 554 - 2 -