Jonas Salk left and Albert Sabin right dedicated their careers to finding a cure for polio Later on their discoveries would help find answers to other diseases The first major polio epidemic in the United States took place in 1894 By the 1910s it was widespread across the country People feared for their lives They were very worried about their children The disease seemed to target the young It left hundreds of thousands of children paralyzed each year In reality
EARLY STATS FACTS AND FIGURES 1894 The first major polio epidemic occurs in the United States There are 132 cases in Vermont 1789 British physician Michael Underwood first describes polio 1916 A polio outbreak in New York City infects more than 9,000 people There are more than 2,300 deaths 1908 Austrian physicians Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper suggest polio is caused by a virus 1840 German doctor Jacob von Heine studies the disease He suggests it is contagious He says it affects the spinal cord 1939 Approximately 1,000 iron lungs are in use in the United States Polio has been known to medical science for more than 200 years Above is a brief timeline of the disease before a vaccine was discovered Why might it have taken so long between polio’s discovery and its cure no one was safe from the grips of the deadly virus Young or old rich or poor polio did not discriminate against its victims
When the body is attacked with a disease the immune system fights against it with the help of antibodies A kind of medicine called a vaccine can also be given to help A vaccine is a weakened form of the disease When a vaccine is given it trains the immune system to defend against the disease Then if the full-strength disease comes the immune system knows how to fight to get it out of the body Researchers in North America and Europe worked hard to find a cure for polio Two American scientists Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin raced against the clock and each other to make a vaccine Hope came in the spring of 1953 On March 26 Salk announced he had successfully tested a polio vaccine Understanding the Disease The polio virus is highly contagious It spreads through contact with feces that is infected with the virus It can also spread through contact with objects such as toys President Franklin D Roosevelt was a strong advocate for polio victims
