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; and
for other purposes.
WHEREAS, seventy years ago, in 1954, the United States embarked on a historic public
health initiative, the Polio Vaccination Campaign, marking the beginning of the end for a
disease that had long afflicted children and adults, leaving thousands paralyzed or dead each
year; and
WHEREAS, polio is a highly infectious disease which has existed for thousands of years,
and primarily affects children under the age of five, causing paralysis and death, and for
which there is no known cure; and
WHEREAS, through the groundbreaking work of many physicians and scientists, the
development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine offered hope to millions of families
across Georgia, the United States, and the world; and
WHEREAS, Georgia played an important role in the campaign to stop polio, as President
Franklin Roosevelt, who called Georgia "my second home," was himself a victim of polio
and sought therapies from the Warm Springs Institute in the 1930s and 1940s, and brought
additional public attention to this dreaded disease; and
WHEREAS, in the 1950s, the Talmage Memorial Hospital, now Medical College of Georgia
Hospital, served as a central repository for the entire Southeast of iron lungs, the life-saving
device that enabled paralyzed victims of polio to breathe; and
WHEREAS, on April 12, 1955, the largest mass vaccination effort in United States history
began, which ultimately led to the eradication of polio in the United States; and
WHEREAS, President Dwight Eisenhower, whose administration played a key role in
funding polio research and ensuring widespread distribution of the vaccine, stated "I think
that this is one of the greatest events of our time"; and
WHEREAS, this anniversary serves as a reminder of the power of science, medicine, and
collective action in overcoming such a terrible and devastating disease, which affects
children and stands as one of the greatest public health triumphs of the 20th century.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body commemorate the 70th anniversary of the nationwide Polio
Vaccination Campaign and acknowledge and salute the tremendous accomplishments of all
the scientists, physicians, public health personnel, parents, and others -many Georgians
among them- who made this remarkable achievement possible.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the
public and the press.