Horace J. Barnes Polio Vaccination Scrapbook

During the mid-1950s, Norfolk County saw a significant undertaking to vaccinate every citizen against polio. Mr. Barnes, who at this time was an Eli Lilly drug representative, in 1956-1957 took part in the local effort to educate and encourage the public to get inoculated against polio. Local health officials and groups geared up to give the first shot of the polio vaccine to local residents. Barnes traveled constantly around the southside Hampton Roads community speaking to civic groups and appearing on local media outlet programs in his effort to educate local residents about the polio vaccine. On March 11, 1957, Norfolk Public Health Director Dr. John M. Huff stated that there were roughly 130,000 to 160,000 people aged 20 to 40 in Norfolk who needed the polio vaccination, but only 20,000 people received their first shot (The Virginian-Pilot, March 11, 1957).  The Norfolk County Medical Society and Norfolk Public Health Department set up five clinics throughout Norfolk for the public to visit to receive vaccination shots. The locations were: Maury High School, Granby High School, Booker T. Washington High School, Norview Elementary School, and Mary Calcott Elementary School (The Virginian-Pilot, February 26, 1957). The clinics opened on March 4, 7, 11, and 14 for the first shot, and opened on April 1, 4, 8, and 11 for the second shot. By August 31, 1957, the mass polio inoculation drive had given 148,500 cc of polio vaccines to local residents.

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