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Top of pagePrimary sponsor: March of Dimes
The
menace of death or paralysis from polio epidemics caused widespread
fear in the United States during the first half of the 20th
century. The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself a polio survivor, to support
research on the dreaded disease and to care for patients.
On April 12, 1955, the polio vaccine developed by Jonas E.
Salk, M.D. with March of Dimes funding was declared 'safe,
effective and potent.' A national outpouring of relief
and joy greeted the announcement.
Following the success of the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines, the March of Dimes turned its attention to other serious child health problems. Today the March of Dimes works to save babies from premature birth, low birthweight, birth defects, and other leading causes of infant morbidity and mortality. It accomplishes this through programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy. In 2003, the March of Dimes launched a special multi-year Prematurity Campaign to raise awareness of this serious and growing problem and reduce the incidence of prematurity.
For more information, please visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at www.nacersano.org.
Top of pageSupporting sponsor: Rotary International
As the world's first humanitarian service club organization
with 1.2 million members in more than 160 countries, Rotary
International set one of the most ambitious goals in the history
for global public health - to immunize the children
of the world against polio. Through its PolioPlus program,
established in 1985, Rotary has contributed more than US$500
million and countless volunteer hours to protect an estimated
two billion children in 122 countries.
For further information please visit www.rotary.org.
