PRINTER'S NO. 3880
No. 740 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY LEWIS, ARGALL, ARMSTRONG, BAKER, BARRAR, BEBKO-
JONES, BUNT, CAPPELLI, CAUSER, CLYMER, CORRIGAN, COY,
CRAHALLA, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, CURRY, DALEY, DENLINGER, DeWEESE,
DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS, FABRIZIO, FICHTER, FLEAGLE,
FORCIER, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOOD,
GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARPER, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS,
HICKERNELL, HORSEY, JAMES, KELLER, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER,
LESCOVITZ, MAJOR, MANN, MARSICO, McGILL, McILHATTAN, MELIO,
S. MILLER, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PAYNE, PHILLIPS,
PICKETT, PISTELLA, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROBERTS, ROHRER, ROSS,
RUBLEY, SAINATO, SANTONI, SATHER, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SEMMEL,
SHANER, SOLOBAY, STERN, TANGRETTI, E. Z. TAYLOR, TIGUE, TRUE,
TURZAI, WALKO, WASHINGTON, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD,
MAY 24, 2004
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 24, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating 2004 as "The Year of Polio Awareness" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, The year 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of the
4 successful nationwide trial of the injectable killed-virus polio
5 vaccine that included "polio pioneer" children; and
6 WHEREAS, Injectable polio vaccine has eliminated naturally
7 occurring polio cases in the United States but has not yet
8 eliminated polio in other parts of the world; and
9 WHEREAS, As few as 57% of American children receive all doses
10 of necessary vaccines, including polio vaccine, during
11 childhood; and
1 WHEREAS, The success of this polio vaccine has caused people
2 to forget the 1.63 million Americans born before its development
3 who had polio during the epidemics in the middle of the 20th
4 century; and
5 WHEREAS, At least 70% of paralytic polio survivors and 40% of
6 nonparalytic polio survivors are developing post-polio sequelae,
7 the unexpected and often disabling symptoms which occur up to 35
8 years after a poliovirus attack, including overwhelming fatigue,
9 muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, sleep disorders,
10 heightened sensitivity to anesthesia, cold pain and difficulty
11 swallowing and breathing; and
12 WHEREAS, The year 2004 marks the 130th anniversary of the
13 diagnosis of the first case of post-polio sequelae and the 20th
14 anniversary of the creation of the International Post-Polio Task
15 Force; and
16 WHEREAS, Research and clinical work by members of the
17 International Post-Polio Task Force has revealed that post-polio
18 sequelae can be treated and even prevented if polio survivors
19 are taught to conserve energy and use assistive devices to stop
20 damaging and killing the reduced number of overworked, polio
21 virus-damaged neurons in the spinal cord and brain that survived
22 the polio attack; and
23 WHEREAS, Many medical professionals and polio survivors do
24 not know of the existence of post-polio sequelae or available
25 treatments; and
26 WHEREAS, The mission of the International Post-Polio Task
27 Force includes educating medical professionals and the 20
28 million polio survivors worldwide about post-polio sequelae
29 through the international post-polio letter campaign, television
30 public service announcements and a continuing plot on the
20040H0740R3880 - 2 -
1 National Broadcasting Company television series "American
2 Dreams"; therefore be it
3 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives:
4 (1) recognize the need for every American child to be
5 vaccinated against polio;
6 (2) recognize the 1.63 million Americans who survived
7 polio, their new battle with post-polio sequelae and the need
8 for education and appropriate medical care;
9 (3) request that every state proclaim 2004 as "The Year
10 of Polio Awareness" to promote vaccination and post-polio
11 sequelae education and treatment; and
12 (4) request that the President convene a White House
13 Polio Awareness Summit with members of the International
14 Post-Polio Task Force and all appropriate departments and
15 agencies to take immediate action to educate the people of
16 the United States about the need for polio vaccination and to
17 educate polio survivors and medical professionals in the
18 United States about the cause and treatment of post-polio
19 sequelae.
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