[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 29407]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

    SENATE RESOLUTION 267--DESIGNATING 2004 AS ``THE YEAR OF POLIO 
                              AWARENESS''

  Mr. SPECTER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary.

                              S. Res. 267

       Whereas 2004 is the 50th anniversary of the successful 
     nationwide trial of the injectable killed polio vaccine that 
     included ``polio pioneer'' children;
       Whereas the injectable 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 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 up to 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 2004 is the 130th 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;
       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, polio virus-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; and
       Whereas 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 the international post-polio letter 
     campaign, television public service announcements provided by 
     the Columbia Broadcasting System and the National 
     Broadcasting System Company, and a continuing plot about 
     polio and post-polio sequelae on the National Broadcasting 
     Company television series ``American Dreams'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the need for every American child 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 every State proclaim 2004 as ``The Year 
     of Polio Awareness'' to promote vaccination and post-polio 
     sequelae education and treatment; and
       (4) requests that the President convene a White House Polio 
     Awareness Summit, with members of the International Post-
     Polio Task Force and all appropriate departments and 
     agencies, to take immediate action to educate--
       (A) the people of the United States about the need for 
     polio vaccination; and
       (B) the polio survivors and the medical professionals in 
     the United States about the cause and treatment of post-polio 
     sequelae.

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I now turn to another subject; that is, a 
resolution to designate the year 2004 as the Year of Polio Awareness.
  During the 1940s and the early 1950s, between 30,000 and 50,000 cases 
of polio were recorded annually in the United States, causing 
widespread fear and panic.
  I recall as a youngster a public swimming pool in Wichita, KS, in 
which there was a total scare, wondering if going to the swimming pool 
would cause polio.
  The polio virus damages nerves that control muscles which results in 
muscle weakness. In severe illness, the person could lose the ability 
to move both arms and legs, may be unable to breathe without help and 
they may die.
  Of course, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the personal 
symbol for the incapacitation of someone with polio, although it was 
only physical. He was a magnificent President and a great leader of the 
United States during the Depression and World War II. A great physical 
toll was taken on President Roosevelt.
  The year 2004 will mark the 50th anniversary of the successful 
nationwide trial to administer the injectable polio vaccine to 
children. The invention of injectable polio vaccines eliminated 
naturally occurring polio cases in the United States.
  However, as few as 57 percent of American children currently receive 
the full dose of vaccines, including the polio vaccination. The need 
for continued diligence to protect this country's youth from polio is 
critical. Unfortunately, those who were stricken with polio before 
vaccines were developed have not received the proper help they need.
  The year 2004 will also mark the 130th anniversary of the first 
diagnosed case of post-polio sequelae. Post-polio sequelae is a 
condition that may develop several decades after a person has had 
polio. It affects the muscles and nerves, causing weakness, fatigue, 
pain, and other symptoms.

                          ____________________