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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, May 8 marks the anniversary of the date in 1980 when |
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the world was declared free of the smallpox disease, a monumental |
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achievement in public health; this occasion serves as a fitting |
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opportunity to highlight the lifesaving importance of immunization |
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and to encourage Texans to learn more about the visionary health |
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professionals who have contributed to the development of vaccines; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The earliest known records of immunization date back |
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to the 15th century, and the practice was revolutionized by English |
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physician Edward Jenner in 1796, when he successfully inoculated a |
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child against smallpox using matter from a cowpox sore; later, the |
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term "vaccine" was coined from the Latin word for cow, vacca; and |
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WHEREAS, The first laboratory-produced vaccine was created |
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by Louis Pasteur in 1872; following the outbreak of the Spanish Flu |
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pandemic in 1918, the development of an influenza vaccine became a |
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priority for the U.S. military; the first flu shot was approved for |
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military use in 1945, and civilians were allowed to obtain the |
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vaccine soon after; another major breakthrough in immunization |
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research took place during the 1950s, when Jonas Salk developed the |
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first effective vaccine against polio, a devastating viral disease |
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that primarily affects young children; by 1960, a live-attenuated |
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version of the polio vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1967, the World Health Organization launched the |
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Intensified Smallpox Eradication Programme, which aimed to |
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eliminate smallpox in more than 30 countries; the initiative |
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received unprecedented global support despite the ongoing Cold War, |
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leading to the eradication of the disease by 1980; over the decades, |
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immunization has continued to advance through efforts such as the |
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Essential Programme on Immunization, the Global Polio Eradication |
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Initiative, and the Meningitis Vaccine Project, as well as through |
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the dedicated work of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other |
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organizations; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the past five decades, global immunization |
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efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives, including those |
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of more than 100 million infants; immunization programs have served |
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as the bedrock of primary health services in communities and |
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countries around the world, offering vaccinations and other vital |
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services, including nutritional support, maternal tetanus |
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prevention, and illness screenings; and |
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WHEREAS, Vaccines are crucial to improving public health and |
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combatting preventable diseases, and the remarkable work of vaccine |
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developers, past and present, is indeed deserving of special |
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recognition; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate May 8 as Vaccination Day; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect |
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until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally |
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passed by the legislature. |