Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-09
District Won't Join
Area Counties in
Polio Vaccine Tests

1AACAoIuA 4d oAIO al A44StOkAs
Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
have been added to the list of
areas which will participate this
season in the mass test Of the
new polio vaccine.
The District. however. will not
be included in the tests. it was
officially announced yesterday
after a meeting at the District
Health Department.
Specific dates for the trials In
Virginia will be set after confer
ences between health officers in
the selected areas and the Vir-
ginia State Health Department.
according to DR.. Mack I. Shan
holtz. State commissioner of
health.
Cities and counties outside
Of the Washington area also
scheduled to receive the vaccine
include Richmond. Henrico,
Chesterfield. Norfolk, Washing
ton and Smyth, according to DR..
ShanholtZ.
District to Shun Tests.
AS Virginia health officials
were deciding to take part in
the vaccine tests. a meeting yes
terday by local physicians, school
officials and DrS. Daniel Seek
niger and Frederick Heath of
the District Health Department
decided not to participate in the
tests.
1t was not over any doubt
that the vaccine might not be
safe" that the District was re-
luctant to become a test area,
DR.. Seckinger said today. At
one point, in January. he said,
the District was ready to go
ahead with a test of the vaccine.
Since the National Foundation
for Infantile Paralysis controlled
the vaccine, the District waited
O. green light from them.
Then a new method for mass
NEGOTIATIONS of the vaccine was
announced by the foundation.
The new method. which would
see half the children slated for
the vaccine receiving dummy"
shots without knowing it, did not
please the local medical groups.
The District decided not to go
through with the test-under
these conditions-because too
much machinery was required to
conduct the test under the time
left before the polio season ar
rived.
There was insufficient time
for organization" according to
DR.. Seckinger.
Incidence Called Low.
There was also the opinion.
among some doctors. that the
incidence of polio in the District
did not warrant using the city
as test ground. And local pc
diatricianS wanted to wait until
tests of the vaccine in Pennsyl-
vania showed if the value of the
vaccine had been established.
Results of the test are still pend
ing. ss,
I'VE hope" Dr.. SeckingeE
said, that the decision not to
participate will not in any way
discourage future research prof.
ects of this nAture-when there
is a sufficient period of time al
lowed for the development of
such a project. So far as the
causation of by-effects is con-
cerned. the vaccine is considered
safe for administration"
In Virginia. DR.. Shanholtz said
the criteria used to determine the
participating areas were: Polio
incidence during the past five or
six years among children in the
6-to-9 age group, population, To-
cal health resources for the con-
duct of the trials and social, eco
nomic and geographical factors
to achieve a cross-section of the
country as whole.
Parents Must Approve.
Only children in the second
grades of public, private and pa
rochial schools, whose parents
have signed request forms, will
receive the trial vaccine. The
health records of pupils in the
first and third grades of the same
schools will be used for COMPARE
son to evaluate the effect of the
vaccine against polio.
Montgomery County officials
had the backing of the Mont
gomery County Medical Society
which announced it's indorse-
ment of the plan to innoculate
$4,000 children.
About 1860 children in Vir-
ginia will be eligible to receive