25 LC 129 0274
House Resolution 554
By: Representatives Buckner of the 137
th
, Taylor of the 173
rd
, Newton of the 127
th
, Prince
of the 132
nd
, Cooper of the 45
th
, and others
A RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign; and
1
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 paralysis 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 stop polio, as President13
Franklin Roosevelt, who called Georgia "my second home," was himself a victim of polio14
H. R. 554
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and sought therapies from the Warm Springs Institute in the 1930s and 1940s, and brought
15
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 played a key role in22
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 the nationwide Polio29
Vaccination Campaign and acknowledge and salute the tremendous accomplishments of all30
the scientists, physicians, public health personnel, parents, and 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 available for distribution to the34
public and the press.35
H. R. 554
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