SR 367: Polio Vaccination Campaign; 70th anniversary; commemorate

Senate Resolution 367

By: Senator Robertson of the 29th

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 SENATE 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 Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press.