A vaccine that changes the world

Polio was a nightmare for the whole world in the early 20th century, until the first vaccine was invented .

The 50s marked a decade with thousands of children dying from polio. At its peak, in 1952, the polio virus infected nearly 60,000 children in the United States, killing 3,000 patients.

In the same year, scientist Jonas Salk and his colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh invented a polio vaccine. This is an important milestone, writing a new chapter in human life and medical history.

In the 50s, polio broke out

In the early 20th century, polio was an obsession for many parents. The first outbreak in Vermont, in 1894, 132 people became ill. Polio recurrent cyclical, raging for decades, hard to find a radical solution.

Children become polio early 20th century. (Photo: Global Polio Eradication Intiative)

Children often get sick in the summer. Every few years, another outbreak broke out, spreading throughout the town.

Some people recover, many suffer from temporary paralysis or permanent paralysis, while others die.

Polio virus usually resides in the human throat or intestines, easily spreads by mouth and excreta. Polio can also spread through objects. Due to the easy infection, the disease is especially common in children.

Therefore, many places have to close the pools. People are advised not to sit next to each other when watching movies to avoid infection.

Vaccines are the only solution

People with polio often have to use special therapies to be able to breathe normally if the infection affects the throat and chest muscles. The patient's breathing device, called an "iron lung" , has a long tube shape, weighing at least 360 kg.

Jonas Salk vaccines the child.(Photo: 29Fzidv).

In 1950, at the peak of the epidemic, the number of iron lungs did not meet the needs of the patients. Doctors face two options, using iron lungs for severe cases or patients who are more likely to survive.

Polio has no thorough treatment, so the only way to prevent is by vaccination.

The vaccine protects 99% of children from polio

The first dose of polio vaccine was invented by scientist Jonas Salk and tested for students at Arsenal Primary School, Pittsburgh on February 23, 1954. In April 1955, the vaccine was published worldwide.

In 1957, scientist Albert Sabin developed the second polio vaccine, in oral form, and is used to this day.

Dr. Albert Sabin gives children polio vaccine.(Photo: Pasteur Meriuex).

After the vaccinations in the US, the number of cases is significantly reduced. According to statistics, in the early 1950s, the country had about 20,000 cases of polio reported each year. By 1960, the number had dropped to 2,525 people. In 1965, the United States had only 61 cases. The last cases of polio were in the United States in 1979. Minor cases have been recorded only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Children get inactivated polio vaccine twice, when they are 2 and 4 months old. Vaccination protects 99% of American children from a disease that used to be a nightmare for parents. Western countries officially eradicated polio in 1994.

Polio vaccine is considered one of the greatest achievements in medical history.

• The United States: Occur polio cure
• WHO declares a state of emergency on polio