June 3, 1957
Dear Dr. Fogarty:
This is in reply to your letter of May 29, 1957, addressed to Mr. Sam A. Kimble 
concerning the current shortage of commercial poliomyelitis vaccine in Rhode 
Island.
An increase in public demand for poliomyelitis vaccine began in February of this 
year nearly simultaneously in all parts of the country. This sharp and sudden 
increase rapidly exhausted back stocks and continues to utilize current vaccine 
production at a high rate. This shortage appears to be relatively uniform 
throughout the country and is affecting equally both private physicians and public 
health departments.
On March 30, 1957, representatives of the American Medical Association, the 
Association of State and Territorial Health Officers, and the National Foundation 
for Infantile Paralysis met with Public Health Service representatives to review 
the poliomyelitis vaccination program. As a result of this meeting a series of 
recommendations were made to the manufacturers of poliomyelitis vaccine. In the 
copy attached to this letter, please note the second recommendation which reads:
"The group recommend that commercial vaccine supplies be maintained those 
States where vaccine is being sold to public agencies in order to assure that vaccination can be provided though both public and private channels rather than 
only through public clinics."
The compliance of the manufacturers with this and the other recommendations has 
been excellent. The ratio of all vaccine shipped to public agencies and private 
physicians has remained virtually stable during the period of shortage. In Rhode 
Island the level of vaccine shipped to public agencies from July 1955 to March 15, 
1957, was 54.3 percent. During the period March 15 to May 17, 1957, this ratio has 
dropped slightly to 52.4 percent.
Vaccine production has been accelerated as much as is compatible with the 
paramount requirement of producing a safe and potent vaccine. It is perhaps fair 
to refer to the present situation as one of extremely high demand, rather than of 
shortage of shipment. Up to May 17 of this year a total of 58 million doses of 
poliomyelitis vaccine had been shipped in contrast to 77 million doses during the 
entire year of 1956. From information available to us, it would not appear that 
the demand for poliomyelitis vaccine will decrease for at least two months and 
possibly not until the end of the year.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to write.
Sincerely yours,
[handwritten] Otis L. Anderson
Assistant Surgeon General
Chief, Bureau of State Services