The process for making a vaccine for polio was a long one. In 1952, Dr. Jonas Salk from the University of Pittsburgh hit a breakthrough, and the first effective polio vaccine was made. During this time, the United States was in a polio epidemic, with around 20,000 cases every year. Although Salk's vaccine was effective, it still needed years of testing.
Although Dr. Jonas Salk's vaccine was the first vaccine released, imunologist Hilary Koprowski claimed that he created a successful vaccine in 1950. Koprowski's vaccine which was a live attenuated virus taken orally was not released until five years after Salk's dead injectable vaccine for it was still in the research and testing stage. Salk's vaccine was liscened in 1955.
In 1958, another vaccine that could be taken orally was invented by Dr. Albert Sabin. This vaccine was lookud upon as more trustworthy, and if a person was immunized by it polio would be prevented their entire life.
The polio vaccine is still used around the world today to prevent people from getting the virus. There hasn't really been any epidemic or breakouts since the vaccine has been made except for like amish conolies in the midwest like a decade ago. I find this topic interesting. We are lucky to have such modern science and technology to be able to develop immunizations for viruses such as this one.
sources!
Comments