U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 23

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23: POLIO INOCULATIONS

Profile America -- Wednesday, February 23rd.  On this date in 1954, children at the Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania took part in a vital medical test.  The youngsters were inoculated against polio -- a scourge that had crippled many children and adults, too, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt.  The vaccine was developed with the backing of the March of Dimes by Dr. Jonas Salk, head of the virus research lab at the University of Pittsburgh.  Its effect was immediate, greatly reducing the number of cases in just a few years.  Now in the U.S., the incidence of new polio cases is rare, as 95 percent of children have been inoculated against the disease.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  History.com, This Day in History

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, 188

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 for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau