Evening star., 1955-07-28
Clinics Begin
GIobuIin Shots
To Check Polio
Fairfax Takes Action
After Disease
Strikes Two Adults

OLA JCo4o AAAACA oP AS@ -~AA~ ~AASs
gamma globulin emergency clinic
today as physicians hastened to
stem the spread Of polio which
already has reached record pro-
portions in the county.
Gamma globulin clinics are
being held today through August
z to give children in the young
age group temporary protection
lagainst the dread disease. TIL,
injection, a derivative of human
blood. affords six weeks protec'
|tion within one week after it i
lgiven.
Enough gamma globulin hai
been made available to th'
county through the Nationa
Foundation for Infantile Paraly
sis to give injections to 24,00I
! youngsters. County doctors ar
donating their services to con
duct the daily clinics.
! Two New Cases
The .county's 21st and %,
, polio cases were reported yester
day. Only one case had beel
reported by this time last year
The 21st case is a 29-year-ol,
; mother of three from the $50
,, block of Beacon lane, Fall
! Church. The 22d case is a 20
; year-old man from Humme
! road, near Annandale. Both ar
y in District General Hospital. d.
, Harold Kennedy, county healtl
officer, said the seriousness @
the two cases had not yet bee.
determined.
4 DR.. Kennedy believes the mum
= ber of polio cases would be q
! least Is greater If some childre
had not received Salk polio vac
p cine this year and last. Abou
1000 children in the secon
grade received three Salk injeE
r tions in a test Of the vaccine las
r year, and $4,000 first, second an
third-graders received their firs
q Salk injections this year befo1
use of the vaccine was discor
tinued for the summer by tn
q State.
= Two polio cases occurred
children shortly after receivin
-ltheir first Salk shots this yea
Health officials said the vaccir
had not had time to devele
any immunity, and only sligl
Immunity eventually is produce
by the first shot.
Used Since SO
Gamma globulin, used also
2 the treatment Of measles al
h infectious hepatitis, has bee
h available for use against pol
k since 1862.
a At that time some 1000 chi
dren were injected with Il
y serum, manufactured by poo
- ing human blood. A Scienti1
e report brought forth at tn
- y time said the blood fraction hs
"a "a been found to be a weape
=. lagainst the paralytic effects
a |polio-but only for a period
- from four to six weeks.
J, Since that time, a controver
: throughout the medical profe
y. sion has gone on over the u
- of gamma globulin against poll
T There are those who mainta
GG's effectiveness has never be,
. adequately demonstrated. 9th
u authorities maintain the seru
~ does temper paralytic polio
~ ~ injected into an individual b
~ =. fore polio strikes.
~ Because Of the unpredictat
n tactics of polio. health officis
II have pointed out, 1t Is impo
sible to know when an indivi
(ual should receive gamma 81
bulin. that is, get it in time. Oft
when a polio epidemic appes
in q community, the threat h
elpassed by the time gamma 81
IL lbulin is given. A subsequent DIR
ID in the incidence of the disea
m therefore, could never be attri
rt uted either to the blood seru
or the strange ways Of polio, dc
tors have maintained.
inI SaIk Move in Prospect
lie The Executive Committee
rt. the Fairfax Medical Socie
plans to meet in the next II
days to consider requestil
State permission to give t
a.. second Salk injections becau
n of the high rate Of polio in t
ry county.
r. DR.. Kennedy, meanwhile, a
an nounced next weeks sched,
p for the gamma globulin clini'
Of A list of the first four elm
today through Sunday, was ca
H.
Delegates Give