DHSS Press Release |
Date: September 29, 2004 DHSS-92-2004 |
| Vincent P. Meconi, Secretary Allison Taylor Levine, Communication Director (302) 255-9037, Pager (302) 247-8523 |
Contact: Heidi Truschel-Light Phone: (302) 744-4907 Pager: (302) 247-1560 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DPH CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF POLIO IMMUNIZATION
The introduction of the world's first polio vaccine in 1954 marked the beginning of the end of polio which terrified millions as it killed and crippled. Fifty years later, Delaware's Division of Public Health (DPH) joins the nation's other health care providers in appreciating Dr. Jonas Salk's injectable polio vaccine (IPV).
Salk's discovery came at a time when the polio virus caused serious epidemics. Often no more than a mild illness, polio causes partial or complete paralysis in about one of every 100 infected persons. If breathing muscles become paralyzed, polio can kill its victims, but most recover and lead active lives, sometimes with the help of leg braces and wheelchairs.
Salk's polio vaccine is still in use today, and aggressive childhood vaccination programs have virtually eliminated natural polio infections worldwide. The last polio case in Delaware occurred in August 1963, and the last polio case in the United States occurred in 1979. The disease no longer occurs naturally in the United States.
Lewes resident Linda L. Burke, 59, was among those temporarily paralyzed by polio as a child.
"I was the first one stricken with polio in Cleveland in 1947, and they rushed me to the hospital with high fever, a stiff neck and an inability to stand because I was paralyzed from the neck down," said Burke, who was just 2 years old when diagnosed.
Burke recovered and went on to live a relatively healthy life, settling with her family in Delaware in 1980. At age 43, Burke's physician diagnosed her with post-polio syndrome, which affects between 25 and 40 percent of people who contracted polio in childhood. Post-polio syndrome is not contagious, but it can cause new muscle pain, weakness and paralysis, and exacerbation of existing weakness.
Polio is among the CDC's recommended schedule of vaccinations, along with measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, chickenpox, Haemophilus influenza, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and pneumococcal disease.
"Every parent and guardian should take their children to their pediatricians for these vaccines and regular checkups," said DPH Director Jaime H. Rivera, M.D., F.A.A.P. "Following the CDC's immunization schedule is very important for the health of the individual child, and for the health of the community at large."
For more information about the polio vaccine and the recommended childhood vaccination schedule, call DPH's immunization hotline at 1-800-282-8672 or contact the National Immunization Program at http://www.cdc.gov/nip. For more information about post-polio syndrome, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/pink/polio.pdf. Other resources include the International Polio Network at or (314) 534-0475, and the March of Dimes, http://marchofdimes.com/polio or (914) 428-7100.
Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.
