Evening star., 1955-05-27
Mass injections
Program Seen
Failing Quotas
Will Move as Fast
As Safety Allows,
ScheeIe Tells House

S(uSSIS tSIIS HOUSS
DR.. Leonard A. Scheele told a
House committee today that it is
unlikely that original plans for
Salk anti-polio vaccinations on a
mass basis this summer would
be met.
The Surgeon General said the
cases of polio which have fol-
lowed use of earlier patches of
vaccine underline the need for.
caution"
Testifying before the House
Interstate Commerce Committee,
he referred to the newer. stricter
standards set for production of
the vaccine and said:
II must emphasize that prog
ress will go ahead only as fast as
safety permits. We must be sure
that protection is given under
standards as safe as science can
make them"
He said that the manufactur-
ers would be permitted to release
the vaccine as soon as it meets
the revised standard, but then
he cautioned:
ut is unlikely that our orig
inal expectations for mass vac
cinations this summer will be
fulfilled"
No Politics, Mrs. Hobby Says
Mrs. Oveta Culp Hobby, Sec
retary of Health, Education and
Welfare, was asked by Repre-
sentative Williams, Democrat, of
Mississippi, about charges that
politics had been involved in
handling the Salk vaccine.
There has been no politics
in this" she replied. mo one
has ever attempted to bring un-
due political pressure on me in
the 80 months I have been in
office. No one other than the
surgeon general of the United
States whose duty under the Law
is to recommend manufacturers
to be licensed, has ever MENTION
ed any manufacturer to the Sec
retary of Health. Education and
Welfare"
Later Mr.. Williams said that
the attacks on Mrs. Hobby had
come from hostile political
sources" He told the Secretary
that the department had been
entirely justified in its action.
He asked Mrs. Hobby whether
1t wasn't true that your de-
partment has no authority under
the law to establish any kind of
program"
That's correct" she replied.
Safety Standards Set
DR.. w. H. Sebrell, jr., direc-
tor Of the National Institutes of
Health, later told the committee
that some vaccine-not as
much as we hoped-is going to
be available soon."
DR.. Sebrell said the Salk vac
cine already has been given to
more than five million children
and that not more than 100 to
ITO cases of polio have developed.
including "the tragic Cutter
cases."
DR.. Scheele pointed out that in
seven weeks since April /, the
beginning of the so-called disease
year for polio. there have been
more cases this year than in the
median of the last five years. He
said that so far in 1866 there had
been 986 cases.
The House Committee is con-
sldering an administration bill
which would provide $28 million
to assure that no child would be
denied the anti-polio vaccine be-
cause OF a lack of money.
DR.. Scheele asserted that "no
vaccine is 100 per cent effec-
tive-no vaccine will prevent
all cases Of polio" But he said
that the Salk vaccine is "a good
vaccine" and that any child in
noculated with it runs a far
smaller risk of contracting
poliomyelitis" than one not
vaccinated. At the conclusion
of his statement DR.. Scheele
was congratulated by Chairman
Priest who said:
Il applaud the fact that the
Public Health Service and the
Department (Health, Education
and Welfare) have not been
willing to sacrifice safety for
speed in carrying on this pro-
gram of innoculation.
"The appointment of the COM
mittee and the agreement with
the manufacturers for stricter
standards is a real achievement.
I think the public will appreciate
the fact that safety will not be
sacrificed for any other purpose"
Representative Bennett, Re-
publican, of Michigan echoed Mr..
Priests remarks. He then asked
another witness, Roswell D. Per-
kins, an Assistant Secretary of
Health, Education and Welfare,
why a program of complete Fed
eral control and financing would
not be superior to the voluntary
plan put forth by the depart
ment.
Mr.. Perkins replied that the
voluntary plan does provide
needed control and establishes
priorities and that it would be
"foolhardy and would slow the
program tremendously" If Fed
eral officials were substituted in
the States for State officials.
Mr. Rennett told the uitpeSc