MEASLES VACCINE
DRAFT -- J.E.F. -- 5/2/63
World Health Assembly

This is the third time, curing a span of six years, that
it has been my pleasure to appear before the World Health As-
sembly as a member of the delegation from the United States.

Since this is so, perhaps the delegates from ome of our
sister nations know that I am a member of Congress of the
United States House of Representatives, that I have served in
that body for nearly 2) years as a representative of the people
of Rhode Island, and that one of my principal fields of interest
as a legislator is the health and welfare activities of the
governnent of the United States.

Perhaps the delegates do not know, however, that part of
my preparation for this elective office was service as a member
of one of the important laboring groups in the United States.
Specifically, I was engaged in that work which involves the
building of structures through the use of bricks. I am proud
of my laboring origin and of everything that gives testimonial
to the dignity of the laboring man, And I am sure you will
understand why I find parallels between building with bricks
and the building processes that are involved in developing a
policy of government or constructing a program for world
health,

As I have watched, and taken part in, and to a degree

helped shape the health and welfare programs of the government
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of the United States, I have been increasingly aware of the
opportunities the field of health affords for meaningful
demonstrations of the brotherhood of man and for positive
cooperation among governments and peoples in the interest

of world health and world peace. This is, of course, not a
new thought for this forums indeed, the World Health Organiza-
tion and this Assembly are founded on this concept and on the
conviction that it can be put to work through mutual faith and
coordinated action.

My specific purpose in asking to address the delegates
has to do with a new medical and public health program that
can, and I believe should be, pursued vigorously.

One of the rewarding things about my responsibilities in
Congress is the opportunity it affords for me to keep abreast
of promising developments in health research and to help
assure that no reasonable steps to apply the fruits of research
are denied because of lack of interest or lack of support. It
was in the late 1950's that my committee first heard with
interest of outstanding research done by the distinguished
scientist at Harvard University, Dr. John Enders, and his
associates, in connection with the virus that is the cause of
measles, Dr. Enders and his colleagues had already received
the Nobel Prize for their work in the virus and tissue culture

fields. They made another significant contribution when they
 

 

 

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identified the measles virus, established that it can be grown
in a culture medium, developed an experimental measles vaccine,
and tested it with satisfactory results.

From this point forward, events unfolded swiftly and in a
manner that is characteristic of scientific development in the
United States. The problem was to confirm Dr. Enders' results,
further test and develop the vaccine, gain assurance of its
safety and effectiveness in large population groups, and make
the product available in volume sufficient to meet the national
need. In meeting this challenge, there has been fine collabora-
tion on the part of our government, the medical school and
university world, and the phoneme vient, industry. Measles
vaccines have been tested widely both in U.S. and in foreign
populations. As a result, just two months ago, the Surgeon
General of the U.S. Public Health Service--Dr. Luther Terry,
who is here in Geneva as the head of the U.S. Delegation--
announced that measles vaccines had been licensed by our govern-
ment.....one gevenvtna/ ieee but weakened form of the virus, and
one involving use of the virus in a killed form, and both
yielding substantial protection against the disease,

As the delegates to this Assembly know, measles is a much
more important health problem than is commonly understood by
the general public. In our country, in addition to the hazards
of the disease itself, we are deeply concerned with the complica-

tions that may ensue--complications such as encephalitis and
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mental retardation. But the disease itself causes between 00
and 500 deaths a year in the United States, and I am pleased
to report that already more than a million doses of measles
vaccine have been used in our country since the vaccine was
licensed.....indicating that measles will soon join the ever-
growing list of diseases that have been effectively controlled
by the use of preventive agents.

The arena of medicine and public health is cooperative,
not competitive; but I point out with some pride that the
development. of the measles vaccine--from the original creative
research of Dr. Enders all the way to the availability in
quentity of a safe and effective product--is from start to
finish a unique story of success in our own country's research
and development processes and in the relationships of our
private to our public sector.

The delegates to this Assembly know better than I the
degree to which disease patterns vary from country to country.
Important though it is, measles can be considered “minor® in
the United States as compared with such great killers and
cripplers as heart disease, cancer, and mental illness. But
in certain of our sister nations--particularly those of the
African continent, Latin America, and Southeast Asia--measles
is a problem with grave dimensions, with high mortality rates.
There is already ample evidence that in those countries, too,
the measles vaccine can and should be used to stamp out the

ravages of this disease.
ét~o

I recall with pleasure seeing, for example, a copy of
remarks made by the Minister of Health of the Upper Volta in
connection with the large scale study of measles vaccination
carried out by a demonstration team from the U.S. Public
Health Service, using vaccine donated by a U.S. pharmaceutical
firm, Nearly three-quarters of a million children of the
Upper Volta were given measles vaccine. The Minister of
Health estimates that many lives may already have been saved
by this experiment in mass immunization--eand that lives nun-
bering hundreds of thousands may be saved over a period of
years throughout the world if the vaccine is used continuously
among susceptible population groups.

I am sure that the World Health Organization is fully
aware of this new development and that its expert panels are
now considering how it can be used to the optimum benefit of
the public health around the world. My message is simply one
of urgency. Unfortunately, advances of this kind come only
infrequently. When they do come, it is of vital importance
that they be immediately and widely implemented. I call upon
this Assembly and the World Health Organization to do every-
thing possible to speed the use of measles vaccine widely among
those countries where measles is a most important public health
problem.

Although I am a legislator, I am not unaware of the practical
difficulties of undertaking large-scale medical and public health
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programs. It is my view that as the creator of this new weapon
for the conquest of disease, my country has special responsibili-
ties to see that it is used wisely and well.....responsibilities
that do not end with our national boundaries, but extend to the
four corners of the earth. To this end, I also call upon the
appropriate governmental agencies of the United States, and

’ particularly the Agency for International Development and the
U.S. Public Health Service, to give every possible cooperation
to the World Health Organization and its regional groups, to
UNICEF, and to individual nations in fostering the use of measles
vaccine. |

I understand that some efforts are already being made in
this respect.....that further demonstrations and clinical trials
are being planned, that training of teams in the techniques of
mass immunization is contemplated, that work is going forward
in an effort to assure an ample supply of the vaccine for the
world's needs. These are heartening developments.

But in my judgment the effort should be doubled and re-
doubled, so that there will be no unnecessary time lag between
the discovery of this new vaccine and its use wherever measles
is a problem.

I pledge you the full cooperation and support of my country
in achieving this goal.