Word: polio
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Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin has become the spokeswoman for a loose confederation of scholars who likewise are appalled at the idea of going ahead with the memorial as designed. "Roosevelt's polio made his special relationship with the American people possible," she said last week. "Not to allow that to be shown would be a fundamental distortion of history, a real loss." The Roosevelt heirs, who at first seemed supportive of a historically cleansed memorial, seem to have tipped the other way, with many favoring a change. The National Organization on Disability has agreed to pick up any extra cost...
...contrast, the second preparation, which was championed by Sabin, is made from weakened--yet not entirely docile--strains of the polio virus. It provokes a more powerful immune response. If it doesn't give the recipient polio (and in 99.99996% of cases it does not), it not only protects those who are inoculated but also prevents them from passing on any "wild-type" infections. That is small consolation to parents like Carol Philips of Brooksville, Florida. Her son Ryan, 10, developed polio soon after receiving the Sabin vaccine. "If I had chosen the other," Philips says, "Ryan would be fine...
...Sabin vaccine, however, that actually eliminated polio epidemics in America. Today, of the 20 million doses of polio vaccine on the market, less than 500,000 are prepared from "killed'' viruses. In fact, there have been no home-grown cases of naturally occurring polio in the U.S. since 1979. With the chances of a major outbreak so remote, the U.S. could switch to a killed-virus vaccine. There's a catch, however. There is no way to prevent someone who is just developing the infection from arriving in the U.S. and spreading it. One in five American children is unvaccinated...
...years. Infants, whose immune systems are not yet very strong, do not get exposed to the slightly more dangerous preparation. Older children, who have developed tougher constitutions, will get the benefits of full protection. Experts expect that the change could prevent most vaccine-associated cases of polio...
...person who has no doubt that the CDC made the right choice is 10-year-old Ryan. Although plucky enough to play Little League baseball with a pinch runner, he has his down moments. "I hate this polio," he says. "Even if it was for just one day, I wish I could run." That may never happen, but if all goes as expected, fewer children will find themselves in Ryan's shoes...