Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-07
Report Is Due
Tomorrow From
Panel Of Experts
BY the Associated Press


The Government today urged
that all polio vaccination pro-
grams be halted until it can re-
port tomorrow whether. in its
view, present supplies Of the
Salk vaccine are safe.
Leonard A. Scheele, the sur
geon general, made this an
nouncement at 4 am. today. sew
eral hours after six-man medi-
cal panel completed a two-day
study of the way in which the
serum is manufactured and
tested.
DR.. Scheele gave no hint of
what the panel had reported. He
indicated, though, that other
information" also would be con-
sidered before the Public Health
Service gives an official opinion
tomorrow.
Only yesterday. DR.. Scheele
had recommended that vaccina-
ton programs be continued. He
said then that vaccine already
cleared by the Health Service
for public use was safe.
Panel Includes DR.. Salk
The medical panel met at the
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda. Md. after a number Of
States reported post-inoculation
polio cases. One member of the
group was DR.. Jonas Salk Of
Pittsburgh, developer of the vac
cine.
The Health Service said in a
statement that it would evaluate
the panels recommendations and
other information. then an
nounce its findings. It added:
Pending the Sunday an
nouncement, the surgeon gem
eral recommended that States
and municipalities postpone their
vaccination programs.
A Public Health spokesman
said it hadn't been decided yet
whel1s or where the report will
be released tomorrow.
DR.. Scheele had announced
yesterday that the Government
was holding up clearance OF new
patches of the vaccine until it
could be certain that every con-
ceivable safeguard" was being
used.
He told newsmen the inspec-
ton of new vaccine supplies
would be resumed right away IL
present safety measures were
judged adequate. He said there
would be a few days delay II
more exhaustive test methods
were needed.
No Cause for Alarm
DR.. Scheele stressed there was
mo cause for alarm" in the
holdup of inspections-a step
that prevents new patches from
being shipped by manufacturers.
In California, plans were an
nounced-before today's Health
Service recommendation was
made public-for resuming vac
cinations halted 10 days ago.
California was hardest hit among
States reporting some children
developed polio or similar symp-
toms following incubation.
Early today, however. Cali
fornia announced the program
would remain suspended until
the Health Service makes its
finding.
The Kansas State Board OF
Health also had decided to go
ahead with its vaccination pro-
gram.
What effect today's announce
ment would have on the plans
of Kansas and other States was
not known Immediately. It was
believed that few States had
planned weekend inoculations.
Some health authorities asked
Federal officials yesterday if the
halt in inspections meant dis
approval of the vaccination pro-
gram. At the time. 1t did not
mean cancellation Of approval.
Meaning Is Enlarged
These queries led DR.. Saik
to issue statement saying some
persons apparently had "en-
larged considerably" on the
| meaning Of DR.. Scheele's COM
ments. aa
DR.. Salk said Decentralization
polio cases made it necessary to
study all aspects of the situation
with the same care and pre-
cision as was followed in the
large-scale tests of the vaccine
last year."
Most Of the post-inoculation
victims had received vaccine
made by Cutter Laboratories Of
Berkeley. Calf. AS a result. all
See VACCINE, Page A-3