FIGHT 1956 POLIO EPIDEMICS NOW ]
By HART K. VAN RIPER, M.l>.
Medical Director National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
——-—.
Almost all of us arc infected l»y I
the polio virus at one time or an-! i
other. Generally, we don’t even I
know we have the infection. Weji
jriay fell perfectly well, or we may i
Aiv P a sore throat or an upset sto
mach.
Sometimes, however, the polio <
virus does serious damage. It at
tacks the central nervous system, !
destroying nerve cells and causing
paralysis. '
If almost everyone is attacked
by the virus, there must he an im
portant reason why some people
succumb and some do not, There
is
The critical battle in the fight
against polio takes place, as it al
ways has, in the bodies of human
beings. It is a battle between the
polio virus and tiny particles, call
ed antibodies, which can destroy
the virus in the Mobd stream:
When an individual is infected
by the polio virus, the virus enters
his system and begins to multiply.
At the same time, the human sys
tem begins to produce defensive an.
tibodies.
A race ensues. If the human tin- j
tibody factory works speedily I
enough ,the antibodies destroy tilt
polio virus in the blood and keep it
from attacking nerve cells.
If the virus multiplies faster
than antibodies can lip produced to
fight it, the virus overwhelms the
body's defenses, attacks the nerv
ous system and may cause palaly- I
sis.
For nearly ail of recorded his-!
tory men knew no way to influ
ence the critical battle of polio
within the human body. Then, in |
1951 and 1952, research supported I
by the March of Dimes revealed j
that antibodies from other people’s J
blood—contained in gammo globu-1
tin—could be ‘‘loaned” to an imli- j
vidual by injection and would give
some protection against paralytic]
polio.
But the loaned antibodies wool',
last only a few Weeks. Arid to tie
effective, they had to be injected
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before or at most within a few j
days after a person was exposed i
to polio, and it is not generally |
possible to tell when this is, I
Obviously, gamma globulin, 1
while of value in epidemic situa- 1
tiona, was no final answer to the
control of polio. Among other
things, they could never be enough >
to go around (since it comes from j
human blood and it is extremely .
expensive).
Now—for the first time—we
have an effective means for eon
trolling polio. The Salk vaccine, in
thu most extensive and careful
field trial ever given a vaccine, was
Shown to be (JO to 90 per cent ef
fective' in preventing paralytic po
lio. The vaccine now being manu
factured is even more effective.
In most parts of the country we
are now at the tapering-off part
of till’ 1955 polio season. We have
the fall and winter months and the
early spring to prepare for 1956.
There i.s no doubt that wc have it
in our power greatly to reduce po
lio incidence next year. How well
we succeed will depend largely on
bpw many children receive vaccine,
] First, rtf course, the vaccine
must be manufactured and dis
tributed. During the fall and win
ter large supplies will lie made
available for use.
It is too much to hope that all
of .t he I(ifi,(100,000 people ill the
lTilted States can be vaccinated !>e-
I fore next summer, but many mil
lions of children will surely be
! inoculated, including almost all in
the highly susceptible five-through,
nine-year age group.
I Since polio attacks more children
I than adults; it is by vaccinating
j eliildix n that the greatest effect
j can be achieved, in terms of pre
j venting eases of paralytic polio.
| livery parent naturally has que.s
, tions about, the vaccine. Foremost
!is the question: Is the vaccine
(safe? The answer.to this is yes.
hast spring, according to a l’. S.
Public Health Service report, live
Virus was found in a small amount
<> *^ A<W ***»* ** «i“i»»*»WWMVW\Aj _ jy-u—J-Q
THE CHOWAN HERALD. EDENTON, NORTH CAROLINA. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 1, 1955.
of vuccine that laid been rettased. [
More stringent government safety
standards were promptly establish
ed to prevent a recurrence of this
incident.
The difficulties of a single manu
facturer do not, of course, reflect
on the safety of all commercially
produced vaccine, any more than
the existence of one contaminated
source of water suggests that wa
ter itself is unsafe.
During the summer there have .
been suggestions that a single .dint |
of the vaccine might give some ]
protection against .paralytic polio,
and so parents may wonder if such
an injection is not enough. The
answer is that it is not iitough for
full and lasting protection.
Here is what happens wheat- a
child is given vaccine. Some scveai
to 10 days after the first shot lie'
he Kins to develop poliu-figlUing an
tibodies. These help strengthen his
defenses against paralytii polio.
When lie- iveeivos his s( com! shot,
the number of antibodies again ris
e's. Then, approximately seven
months later, when lie receives his
third shot, there is a further rise
in antibodies,-, and He then-lias the
full protection of the vaccine.
Thus, the child with one shot has,
some help in defending himself
against paralytic polio. The child
with two has even more help, 'flu*
child with three, properly spaced,
has the full protection of the vac
tarn*.
The hodv tries to defend itself
agafnst paralytic polio even with
out vaccine. What the vaccine does
is holster natural deft n#is.
i
II very one would like to know how
long the effect of vaccine lasts.
And no one can give a hard and
answer, because wo have not
had the vaccine very long. A mini- |
her of children who have received j
it will be followed through the j
years until We do know how long it
protects.
However, because tin* level of
protection after tin* third shot N
so high, there is reason to hope
that it will last for many years.
Tin third shot is in :i sense - .the
real key to the effort iveuess of the
vaccine. This is why \\e will look I
with growing interest toward tin- |
lP. r >(* polio season. By (hat time ,
enough youngsti rs 'should ha\y re
cei\(*d their complete series’.of in
jections to make a substantial dif
ference in the nationwide poli**
rate. Then \ve will he'able to 1 look
forward to final control of pulio
within a few years.
This fall the vaccine program of
the National Foundation for In
fantile I’araly -is will be concluded
in school clinics in all states. In '
these clinics youngsters from the
first and second grades will r» reive
their second shots of vaccine, and
so will third and fourth graders in
schools that participated in the
1951 field trials. No first shots
will be given.
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’ § " '
Colonial Williamsburg silversmith puts final touches on the hand
forged Town Crier’s Bell which will be presented to Sir Winston
Churchill, first recipient of the newly established Williamsburg Award.
Sir Winston will receive the bell, replica of an 18th century Town
Crier’s Bell used in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the award’s SIO,OOO
honorarium at a ceremony in London. The distinguished award will be
made hy the trustees of Colonial Williamsburg “as the occasion war
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1 appropriated $80,0(10,001! for the j
purchase of vaccine during ;
the coining few months. Supplies
of vaccine are allocated to .states
, on the basis of the number of un
vaccinated children five through
j nine years of age. Kach state is i
! respoMSihlo for the distribution of]
the- vaccine within its borders. .
Vour local Ilealtli officer or person- 1
HnTM your home to have
■BpPi^y<, v -Jmoc/ern super-cleon eat?
* * then get
■PjikGULr r ■
PERFORMANCE
more than a million homes
COASTLANI) OIL COMPANT he ‘ ,tin ® oil
IMIOXE 099 EDENTON, N. C.
Distributors of
GULF OIL PRODUCTS
[ al physicial will lie able to tell
j you what arrangements have been
made in your state.
The battle against polio in the
summer of 1956, so far as preven
tion is concerned, will he won or
(lost this fall and winter. Success
] will depend on how many children
i are vaccinated. If wo vaccinate ev.
ery youngster for whom we have
i vaccine, next year should begin to
, show a significant decrease in the
j number of parallyzed children.
John J. Bond Reenlists
In United States Army
M-Sgt. Sherman D. Owen, Army
recruiter for the Albemarle area,
has announced that John J. Bond
of Edenton, has reenlisted for six
years in the-Infantry, U. S. Army.
Bond was discharged from the
Army October 27th and was reen
listed on November 2 V<*-
■ lie was sent to i trf •>;, ... ... . : ■. .
oiwu * iii aaotiiTi ———
Good
. ■ J News
g*#- *MComing\
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Watch This Paper For The Grand
Opening Os The New Store Os The
Edenton Furniture Co.
-
MAIL YOUR
rurrn/
How much time and effort do you spend in
calling to pay bills in cash?
Let the postman do your bill-paying er
rands. Mail your check. It is safer and more
convenient than paying in cash, and your can
celled check is evidence of payment.
If you have no checking account, open one
now at The Bank of Edenton. Your personal
account will be welcome.
#
Buy U. S. Savings Bonds
THE BANK OF EDEN TOfti
(
EDENTON. NORTH CAROLINA
SAFETY FOR SAVINGS SINCE 1894
MEMBER FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
MEMBER FEDERAL DEPDSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
for processing and assignment.
M-Sgt. Owen also announced that
under a new program any appli
cant enlisting or reenlisting during
the period December 16 to Decem
ber 31 may request leave at the
time of enlistment so as to enable
them to be at home for Christmas.
For example, a man enlists on De
cember 18. He can get 15 days
leave and report to the reception
center on January 3. For more in
formation about this program con
tact M-Sgt. Owen at the Edenton
.. ... no, .... .1. .. 1
PAGE ONE
SECTION TWO-
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The oldest building in the world
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supreme masterpiece of Byzantine
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I -
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“Right -f tW"V -