The menace of death or paralysis from polio, a viral infection that affected mostly children, caused widespread fear and panic in the United States for decades. Sporadic and unpredictable outbreaks of the disease marked the lives of Americans during the first half of the 20th century. In 1952, the most severe polio epidemic year on record, more than 57,800 people were stricken with the disease. The images of youngsters in wheelchairs, on crutches, or in unwieldy "iron lungs" responsible for their every breath, haunted parents.

In the spring of 1954, the March of Dimes (then known formally as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis) conducted the largest clinical trial in U.S. history, testing the vaccine developed by Jonas Salk, M.D, on more than 1.8 million schoolchildren. Thousands of health care workers and other volunteers across the country participated to make it possible.

"By the time the early 1950s appeared, about 25 percent of paralytic cases occurred in those 21 years of age and older. In fact, Franklin Roosevelt, who was president of the United States, was paralyzed at the age of 39. And so at that time the age distribution had changed. It was a disease that was spread less by water supply or by exposure to fecal contamination. It was spread now more by pharyngeal spread, in the family context or amongst playmates. The secretions of the nose and throat. Because the virus would enter the blood stream, it would multiply in the intestines, enter the blood stream, and then it would enter into the nervous system, the spinal cord --paralyze -- but it would also appear in the throat. And then it could spread that way in schools, and amongst playmates.Well that's how it was spread. As far as the incidence in the early 1950s -- in the five years before the vaccine was available in '55 -- about 25,000 cases occurred annually. The highest incidence was over 50,000 cases in 1953, I think it was. And this gives you some measure of the concern, because it would crop up anywhere, at any time, without any forewarning. " ...

Dr. Jonas Salk.

Editor's Note: When I was a young boy growing up in Jersey City, N.J. the municipal swimming pool was known as the "Polio Pit." Every week it seemed that there were new cases of polio being reported by all of the local and New York City newspapers. Our parents put such fear in us not to go anywhere near the pool, that they would show us the pictures of young children in "Iron Lungs." Even until this day that image can put a chill in me. When Dr. Jonas Salk found the cure, I can honestly tell you that he became the first true "American Saint" as all adults were calling him. A great fear had lifted from the nation. And this of course, was not too long after WWII.

No wonder, then, that millions of anxious Americans held their breath with anticipation when the results of the field trials were announced on April 12, 1955. Under the penetrating gaze of hundreds of journalists and the glare of camera lights at the University of Michigan, it was announced that the vaccine worked -- polio now could be prevented. A huge outpouring of relief and joy greeted the news, and Dr. Salk became a national hero overnight.

When asked how he wanted to be remembered, Dr. Salk told a reporter "I want to be there when a child in the next generation asks his father, Hey Daddy, what's Polio?"

Significance of the Anniversary

Many other medical advances were made possible by the wide net that was cast in funding the quest for a polio vaccine. "Most of the beginnings of molecular biology were financed by the March of Dimes as part of its study of viruses in search of a vaccine," said Victor A. McKusick, M.D., the noted medical geneticist.

Investments in research by the March of Dimes during the polio era that led directly to Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs included:

Linus C. Pauling, Ph.D., for identifying the first known human disease caused by a specific molecular abnormality -- sickle cell anemia.

John F. Enders, Ph.D., Thomas Weller, M.D., and Frederick Robbins, M.D., for developing a tissue culture method for growing polio virus.

James D. Watson, Ph.D., for identifying the double helix structure of DNA (with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins).

Max Delbrück, Ph.D., for showing how genes direct normal development and mutations cause abnormal development (with Alfred Hershey and Salvador Luria).

Development of vaccines came to be seen by the public as a priority, and great strides were made in protecting unborn babies, children, and adults from many other deadly and disabling infectious diseases.

The mobilization of the nation to raise money to fight polio introduced philanthropy and volunteerism into the daily lives of millions of Americans for the first time.

From Polio to Prematurity: the March of Dimes Today

Following the success of the polio vaccine, the March of Dimes turned its attention to birth defects and other infant health problems, including premature birth.

"Today, polio is part of history, but volunteers remain committed to improving the health of our nation's children," says Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "Just as dimes conquered polio, today's dollars are funding the search for answers about why premature birth and birth defects happen, and how they can be prevented."

The March of Dimes major fundraiser, WalkAmerica, will take place the weekend of April 30-May 1 in over 1,100 communities nationwide. For more information, visit walkamerica.org.

National supporters of the March of Dimes 50th Anniversary Salk Vaccine activities throughout 2005 are Merck, Sanofi-Pasteur, and BD.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a multi-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.

www.marchofdimes.com

© 2005 HealthNewsDigest.com