Polio Pioneer - Janice Flood Nichols

Twins Janice and Frankie, age 6. Source: Janice Flood Nichols

On April 26, 1954, I became one of 1,829,916 first, second, and third graders from 211 counties in forty-four states as well as children in Canada and Finland who participated in the largest vaccine trial in the history of the world. As participants in the 1954 Polio Vaccine Trial, we were dubbed “Polio Pioneers” and as such were told we were doing something not only for our generation, but also for all future generations of children.

The vaccine trial and subsequent 1954 licensure of the first polio vaccine was fraught with much scientific debate, a history of early tragic results, a need to raise sufficient funds for research via a remarkable public/private partnership, a method to facilitate issues across international borders (for example, Canada had been invaluable in supplying culture medium for mass vaccine production), the ability to find solutions to early production problems, and most importantly perhaps, the ability to convince the participating countries to find parents who would allow their innocent children to be subjected to an experimental vaccine.  

Toddlers Frankie and Janice. Source: Janice Flood Nichols

But, young parents around the world were terrified of polio, a disease that never affected as many children as numerous other diseases, but had the ability to render their child (or children) healthy one day and dead or paralyzed the next, regardless of adherence to public health practices. 

Even the terrifying words of radio gossip columnist Walter Winchell did not derail the trial, even though his prediction that the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis (popularly known as the March of Dimes) had caused 150,000 children to be pulled from the trial.

Vaccine planning began in earnest in spring 1953, with a CBS radio address made by Dr. Jonas Salk and the resulting formation of the Vaccine Advisory Committee. Though there were logistical and ethical issues to resolve as well as competing opinions on vaccine trial particulars, the March of Dimes and advisors were tasked with identifying areas across the country with high rates of the disease with population centers of 50,000 to 200,000 people as this group was considered most favorable for research purposes. An infrastructure to carry out the study also had to be developed. Some southern states were ultimately disqualified because polio outbreaks had already occurred. In Canada, kindergarten children in Halifax were included because of past susceptibility to the virus, with a total of 60,000 Canadian children participating. Finnish children from 5 to 14 were included not only because of recent outbreaks but because of a personal relationship that one of the physicians had with Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. of the University of Michigan.

Dr. Francis’ group had been chosen to analyze trial results, an analysis that took a year to complete. Children were enrolled in the trial by school district. At the time, New York State was the most populous of states; as a NY native I am proud that over 400,000 NY children participated. Across the country, sixty to seventy percent of eligible children enrolled, yet in my school district 89 percent of eligible children participated. Final trial results indicated that 650,000 children received the vaccine, 750,000 children received a placebo, and 430,000 children acted as non-vaccinated control subjects.

The National Foundation declared six-year-old Randy Kerr of Fairfax, Virginia as Polio Pioneer #1. Children were injected three times, with the full series completed by the end of June. 94% of children completed the series with parents notified by mail as to whether their children were vaccinated or treated with a placebo. Placebo injected children required an additional three shot series.  

Permission form – 1954 Poliomyelitis Vaccination Field Trial Source: Janice Flood Nichols

No child was permitted to participate until his/her parent had completed and returned the permission form. (It was a different era as noted by the simplicity of the form, devoid of today’s copious legal disclaimers.) Yes, I was a participant but my story was a little different than that of most trial participants. In the fall of 1953 my suburb of DeWitt, NY had suffered a horrific polio epidemic. In the end, three children died, including my beautiful twin brother Frankie. I was one of two temporarily paralyzed children who made a remarkable recovery. Frankie lived less than three days after he was admitted to the hospital. I was admitted to the hospital on the night Frankie was buried and later that week my mother suffered a miscarriage. Our family’s story was all too common across the globe before the polio vaccine; today’s vaccine types have been expanded and perfected to meet ongoing challenges. With current understanding of scientific method, it is doubtful that I would have been allowed in the trial because I had natural immunity to one of the three Polio Types. At the time, though, local sensitivity to my family’s tragedy seemed to trump other factors.

Syracuse Post Standard May 3, 1954 Source: Janice Flood Nichols

On April 12, 1955 the trial results were announced to the world: the vaccine was safe and effective! Almost immediately vaccine distribution was halted when a deadly error among some vaccine lots was discovered. The error was quickly corrected and distribution was resumed, although some communities and parents delayed distribution. One can only imagine the repercussions of such a mistake, if it was made today.

This was printed in our Syracuse paper. The caption below the photo indicated that I was pensive. Sadly, when I look at the photo, I remember all too well what I was thinking: the vaccine came too late for Frankie.

In many ways, I remain that six-year-old Polio Pioneer. It has influenced my life in terms of profession and as a vaccine advocate who has written and spoken throughout the country about polio eradication. We have made so much progress yet polio is still not eradicated. Unfortunately, lowered vaccine rates even threaten developed countries including the United States, but as a survivor I must continue to speak out.

I know all too well that vaccination is our ultimate weapon!  No child should remain vulnerable.   

Janice Flood Nichols 2023