WASHINGTON, April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14: POLIO
Profile America — Wednesday, April 14th. There was good news this week in 1955 as Dr. Jonas Salk announced a vaccine against polio — one of the most feared diseases of that era. Polio affects the nervous system, causing paralysis in the legs and the muscles operating the lungs. Most victims were children — hence the other name for the illness, infantile paralysis. However,
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adults could also contract polio and its most famous victim was Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the
introduction of the vaccine, the incidence of the disease quickly declined, and by 1967, had nearly vanished. Today, more than nine-out-of-10 infants are vaccinated against polio. Profile America is presented by the U.S. Census Bureau, reminding you — take part in the 2010 Census and put your census form in the mail.
Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 221
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 186
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
