Statement by United States Commissioner of Education Earl James McGrath

Statement As a new polio season approaches, parents will ask again what can be done to protect children against this disease. The answers are contained in a publication, "Polio Message to Parents," which the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis has made available for school distribution. I strongly urge that administrators and teachers make every effort to see that children take this information home. Recently we have heard about gamma globulin in relation to polio prevention. There are certain facts about it that everyone should understand. First, this is not a polio vaccine-- it is only a temporary protection. Secondly, it is in very short supply. The school folder explains how this national resource will be distributed to the best advantage. We are told that the prospects for polio control are very promising; that victory over this disease is closer than ever before. But in 1953, there will be new epidemics and the usual precautions cannot be ignored this year. The coop- eration of the schools is especially needed in alerting the public to the advice and recommendations of health authorities. * By Earl James McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D. C., endorsing the 1953 project of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, April 2, 1953 :