[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H6670-H6672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF OBSERVING THE YEAR OF POLIO
AWARENESS
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 526) supporting the goals and ideals
of observing the Year of Polio Awareness, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 526
Whereas 2005 was the 50th anniversary of the injectable
killed polio vaccine;
Whereas the polio vaccines eliminated naturally occurring
polio cases in the United States but have not yet eliminated
polio in other parts of the world;
Whereas as few as 57 percent of American children receive
all doses of necessary vaccines during childhood, including
the polio vaccine;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends that every child in the United States receive all
doses of the inactivated polio vaccine;
Whereas the success of the polio vaccines has caused people
to forget the 1,630,000 Americans born before the development
of the vaccines who had polio during the epidemics in the
middle of the 20th century;
Whereas at least 70 percent of paralytic polio survivors
and 40 percent of nonparalytic polio survivors are developing
post-polio sequelae, which are unexpected and often disabling
symptoms that occur about 35 years after the poliovirus
attack, including overwhelming fatigue, muscle weakness,
muscle and joint pain, sleep disorders, heightened
sensitivity to anesthesia, cold pain, and difficulty
swallowing and breathing;
Whereas 2006 is the 132nd anniversary of the diagnosis of
the first case of post-polio sequelae and is the 21st
anniversary of the creation of the International Post-Polio
Task Force;
Whereas research and clinical work by members of the
International Post-Polio Task Force have discovered that
post-polio sequelae can be treated, and even prevented, if
polio survivors are taught to conserve energy and use
assistive devices to stop damaging and killing the reduced
number of overworked, poliovirus-damaged neurons in the
spinal cord and brain that survived the polio attack;
Whereas many medical professionals, and polio survivors, do
not know of the existence of post-polio sequelae, or of the
available treatments;
Whereas the mission of the International Post-Polio Task
Force includes educating medical professionals and the
world's 20,000,000 polio survivors about post-polio sequelae
through the international Post-Polio Letter Campaign, The
Post-Polio Institute at New Jersey's Englewood Hospital and
Medical Center, the publication of The Polio Paradox, and the
television public service announcement provided by the
National Broadcasting Company; and
Whereas it would be appropriate to observe the year
beginning October 1, 2006, as the Year of Polio Awareness:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the need for every child, in America and
throughout the world, to be vaccinated against polio;
(2) recognizes the 1,630,000 Americans who survived polio,
their new battle with post-polio sequelae, and the need for
education and appropriate medical care;
(3) requests that all appropriate Federal departments and
agencies take steps to educate--
(A) the people of the United States about the need for
polio vaccination; and
(B) polio survivors and medical professionals in the United
States about the cause and treatment of post-polio sequelae;
and
(4) supports the goals and ideals of observing the Year of
Polio Awareness to promote vaccination and post-polio
sequelae education and treatment.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Deal) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each
will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H6671]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and insert extraneous material on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 526, a
resolution authored by Mr. Rothman of New Jersey that supports the
goals and ideals of observing the Year of Polio Awareness. I commend
Representative Rothman for introducing this important resolution, which
helps to raise awareness about polio and the continued need to
vaccinate all children against polio and other infectious diseases.
While many of us in this Chamber are old enough to remember polio as
a national tragedy that claimed thousands of lives and left thousands
more permanently disabled, younger generations may have only read about
polio in history books. But the story of polio, its spread, its dreaded
consequences, the millions of lives it touched, and our ultimate
triumph over the disease, should forever remain etched in our national
memory.
Recently, the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History
held an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the injectable,
killed polio vaccine, also known as the Salk vaccine. The exhibit
detailed the incredible story of polio in the United States, beginning
with the 1916 outbreak in New York City that paralyzed 9,000 people and
killed 2,400, most of whom were children less than 10 years of age. It
went on to tell visitors about the all-consuming race to find a
vaccine, from the story of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who may
have been paralyzed by polio and went on to found the March of Dimes,
the organization that raised hundreds of millions of dollars for polio
research and treatment, and for which President Roosevelt's image was
etched on the United States dime; to the research efforts led by Jonas
Salk, Albert Sabin, and others to come up with a vaccine that was safe
and effective; to the mammoth public health effort needed to vaccinate
all children in the United States once a workable vaccine had been
found; and, finally, to the worldwide effort to eradicate polio in the
latter 20th century. The fight against polio is an amazing story that
deserves to be remembered and retold.
But like most museum exhibits, the most striking things about the
exhibits were the images. On display were several iron lungs, the metal
apparatuses that helped to keep children and adults with polio alive.
These metal contraptions restricted all movement and were mostly small
because they primarily housed children. They were necessary to help
polio patients continue to breathe. Photographs depicted huge
warehouses that had been converted to makeshift hospital wards, filled
with rows of iron lungs and the children inside.
Other pictures showed parents standing on ladders and soap boxes,
peering through hospital windows, trying to see their children who had
been quarantined. Such pictures are painful reminders of a past that
should never be relived.
The resolution before us today reminds all of us that we have all the
tools needed to prevent the reemergence of polio in this century. By
far the most crucial weapon in the fight against infectious disease is
vaccination, the medical advance that has saved more lives than any
other. Vaccines continue to serve as the first line of defense against
infectious disease. The resolution rightly recognizes the need of every
child to be vaccinated against polio. It also recognizes the 1.6
million Americans who survived polio, but still suffer from its effects
today.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important
resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1500
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise to support House Resolution 526, which supports
the observation of the Year of Polio Awareness.
I do want to thank the sponsor of the legislation, my colleague from
New Jersey Representative Steve Rothman, for not only sponsoring this
bill, but also for all of his efforts to increase awareness of polio.
He will be speaking just a few minutes later.
Polio, as you know, is a viral illness that destroys nerve cells. As
a result, muscles become paralyzed, and these muscles can atrophy and
die. Polio is most common in infants and young children; however,
complications occur most often in older persons and often post-polio.
Those complications have the often disabling symptoms of overwhelming
fatigue, muscle weakness and pain, sleep disorders and more. It occurs
in 75 percent of paralytic and 40 percent of nonparalytic polio
survivors about 35 years after the polio virus attacks.
Although polio has plagued humans since ancient times, its extensive
outbreak occurred in the first half of the 1900s before the vaccination
created by Jonas Salk became widely available in 1955. And I would say,
Madam Speaker, that I certainly am old enough to remember when there
were many people who were struck by polio. And in the 1950s, when I was
growing up, the fact that there was a vaccine available was just seen
as an amazing thing. It was very much on the minds of all of us as we
were growing up in the 1950s and the 1960s.
Sadly, despite having a vaccine against polio, this disease has not
been eradicated from the world, and outbreaks continue to occur in the
U.S. and other countries. As a matter of fact, it seems we are headed
in the wrong direction. The World Health Organization announced last
year that they would not meet their intended goal of eliminating new
cases of polio worldwide by the end of 2005, since many cases remained.
The hope is that this resolution and the new resurgence of focus on
polio will promote increased vaccination and education and treatment of
post-polio complications. Even today, Madam Speaker, 10 percent of
American children under the age 3 do not receive their polio vaccine.
This percentage is lower in poor cities. Given new cases being reported
in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Niger,
Ethiopia and Yemen, an outbreak in the U.S. would not be surprising.
And last year four cases of the polio virus were reported in Minnesota.
The eradication of new polio cases is achievable, but only if we
reeducate the public about the dangers, effects and availability or a
vaccine and treatment. This resolution asks all appropriate Federal
agencies to take action to educate the people of the U.S. about the
polio vaccine, and to educate polio survivors and medical professionals
about the existence of post-polio complications and available
treatments.
Therefore, I support this resolution recognizing a Year of Polio
Awareness beginning on November 1
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I
reserve the balance of my time with the intention of closing.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my
colleague Steve Rothman, who, again, has taken a lead on this and so
many other health care issues.
Mr. ROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, first let me thank my colleague from New
Jersey for giving me this time, and all of your efforts to increase
polio awareness.
I would like to thank Chairman Deal for all of your hard work as the
chairman of this subcommittee in bringing this matter to the floor, and
for all of your support. I would also like to recognize the role of
Ranking Member Sherrod Brown for his help.
Madam Speaker, I first want to thank the leadership of the Energy and
Commerce Committee for bringing Resolution 526 to the floor. I also
want to take this opportunity to recognize my constituent, a very
tireless worker on behalf of those suffering the aftereffects of polio,
Dr. Richard Bruno.
As the director of the Post-Polio Institute and International Center
for
[[Page H6672]]
Post-Polio Education and Research at Englewood Hospital and Medical
Center, and chairperson of the International Post-Polio Task Force, Dr.
Bruno is at the forefront of the movement to educate parents about the
need to vaccinate their children against this debilitating virus.
This resolution, Madam Chairman, would not be on the floor today
without Doctor Bruno's help. I am grateful for his work and commitment
to this cause.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution,
526, that will bring critical attention in the United States and around
the world to the need for children to be vaccinated against polio. It
sounds so simple. So many of us thought that polio had been eradicated,
but that is far from the truth.
This resolution recognizes the need for every child to be vaccinated
against polio and designates the year starting October 1st as the Year
of Polio Awareness. It also urges all Federal agencies to educate
doctors and parents about polio, and to also educate polio survivors
and medical professionals about the cause and treatment of something
called post-polio sequelae. More about that later.
It has been 51 years since the introduction of the polio vaccination.
By now this virus should have been eradicated. But as has been said
earlier by our chairman and Mr. Pallone, this is not the case. In fact,
according to the Centers for Disease Control, 10 percent of the U.S.
children under 3 years of age, which is approximately 1 million
toddlers in our country, are not vaccinated against polio.
This percentage is even greater in America's poorest cities. Even
more of our young people are not vaccinated against polio. In my own
home State of New Jersey, only 86 percent of the toddlers living in
Newark were vaccinated in 2004. Furthermore, the United States is not
protected against a polio outbreak. In October of 2005, five children
in an Amish community in Minnesota were diagnosed with polio. Although
that outbreak was ultimately brought under control, this was a clear
signal that we must do more in our country to prevent the spread of
polio.
Polio outbreaks, Madam Speaker, are not only limited to occurring in
the United States, but have, for example, as my colleagues have said,
been reported in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Somali, Afghanistan,
Egypt, Niger, Ethiopia and Yemen, amongst other countries.
In some way the polio vaccination has become a victim of its own
success, one might say, with many Americans believing that polio has
been eradicated. They no longer have their children vaccinated against
this virus. That is a mistake. With outbreaks occurring all over the
world, unvaccinated children everywhere, including in the United
States, are susceptible to exposure and to catching polio. That is why
this resolution is so important.
Madam Speaker, parents must be informed when making decisions about
vaccinating their children. They have to know that there is still a
threat that their child could be exposed to the polio virus. This
resolution will help ensure that doctors will provide all of the
necessary information to parents about the polio vaccine and the
dangers of the virus.
I hope that the passage of this resolution will accomplish our goal
of raising awareness of the importance of having every child vaccinated
against polio, and will have the effect of allowing doctors to
understand this post-polio sequelae syndrome, which is that after
someone has lived a whole lifetime with polio, they then suffer a
series of additional complications: chronic overwhelming fatigue, joint
pain, and chronic pain of a variety of natures.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this
resolution, which will educate our own people and all of the people of
the world to the continuing threat of polio.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, once again, we support this resolution
and thank the sponsor, my colleague from New Jersey, for introducing
it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, certainly as we talk about the elimination of polio,
it is one of the great success stories, but one in which we must
continue to be vigilant, as has been pointed out. As a Rotarian, I am
proud that my organization, on an international basis, undertook as a
project to eliminate polio worldwide, poured millions of dollars into
that effort, and contributed greatly to the success of the elimination
of polio in other parts of the world.
But as we talk about the polio vaccine, a disease that has been able
to be treated with a vaccine, we are also on the verge of recognizing
that we are going to have, as we currently have, a problem with vaccine
manufacturers for not only this disease, but many other diseases as
well.
Today we only have four United States vaccine manufacturers. That is
down from about 50 that we had back in the 1960s. The bipartisan
Institute of Medicine has identified three primary factors as the
reason we have lost vaccine firms and for the reluctance of firms to
get into the manufacturing of vaccines.
One is the economic realities, and certainly those are very real;
secondly, the burdensome regulations that they must go through; and
third, legal liability. As we deal with other diseases, in addition to
this question of polio, we are going to be faced with the fact that we
are going to have to encourage manufacturers of vaccines to get in the
marketplace, and we must deal with those three factors as we move
forward on this issue of vaccines for other illnesses as well.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.
Res. 526 supporting the goals and ideals of observing the Year of Polio
Awareness.
During the 1940's and 1950's, between 30,000 and 50,000 cases of
polio were recorded annually in the United States. This epidemic caused
widespread fear and panic because of its devastating effects. Such
effects include muscle and nerve damage, as well as the inability to
move one's limbs or to breathe without assistance. The polio virus can
also lead to a number of severe illnesses.
Fortunately, the injectable polio vaccine eliminated naturally-
occurring polio cases in the United States, but unfortunately has not
yet eliminated polio in other parts of the world.
The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention recommends that
every child in the United States receive all doses of the inactivated
polio vaccine; yet as few as 57 percent of American children receive
all doses of necessary vaccines during childhood, including the polio
vaccine.
At least 70 percent of paralytic polio survivors, and 40 percent of
nonparalytic polio survivors, are developing post-polio sequelae. Post
Polio Sequelae are late effects of the disease that can occur 35 years
after the poliovirus attack in 75 percent of paralytic and 40 percent
of ``non-paralytic'' polio survivors. Because they present so long
after an individual is ill, these effects are unexpected and are often
unrecognized: fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, sleep
disorders, heightened sensitivity to anesthesia, cold pain, and
difficulty swallowing and breathing.
This year marks the 132nd anniversary of the diagnosis of the first
case of post-polio sequelae and the 20th anniversary of the creation of
the International Post-Polio Task Force. The mission of the
International Post-Polio Task Force includes educating medical
professionals and the 20,000,000 polio survivors in the world about
post-polio sequelae through letter campaigns, public service
announcements, and other forms of media.
I cannot understate the importance of the work of the International
Post-Polio Task Force. Because many medical professionals and polio
survivors do not generally know of the existence of post-polio sequelae
or of the available treatments, it is vital that we continue to support
efforts by organizations such as the International Polio Task Force to
increase the awareness of the debilitating effects of polio.
I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time and urge the adoption of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) that the House suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution, House Resolution 526, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________