In the early 1950’s summer fun for kids could be hard to find. Swimming pools, movie theaters, and county fairs closed. Organized team sports were often non existent. Why?
Polio.
Polio epidemics raged every few years, peaking in Iowa in 1952 with 3,564 cases. Most affected escaped with flu like symptoms, but many less fortunate contracted spinal cord and respiratory problems.
Clear Lake was not immune. The pages of the newspapers were full of stories of kids going to the hospital and, more happily, coming home. Parents who were not allowed to visit inside the wards climbed ladders to see their little loves through the windows.
Communities raised money for research in various ways. In 1955, the Salk vaccine was finally, mercifully developed and ready nationwide. The Sabin vaccine joined the arsenal in 1961, and in 1963 the Trivent Oral polio vaccine rounded out the medical miracles.
By 1994 polio was considered eliminated from the North and South American continents.
The photos of Clear Lake citizens lining up to get their polio vaccines were taken in 1962. They are part of the Clear Lake Public library history collection.
The Sept 1952 article of the Clear Lake Reporter tells of the children returning home.
The Clear Lake Mirror Reporter story about polio coffies is from 1958.
