The Polio Vaccine

Print. This journal talks more about vaccines in general the reason why I chose the pages that I did was because it referred to the eradication of smallpox and the percentage of people not getting sick after they have taken the vaccine. I see it as a reliable sours because it is published and on the library catalog. Bonnem, Shirley. "History of Smallpox."

Viral pneumonia develops in children in about five to seven days, but bacterial pneumonia is more severe (McKenzie and et. al. 396). “Pneumonia affects approximately four million individuals each year. It is the most common cause of infectious death in the United States” (Neighbors and Jones 162).

He had no desire to profit personally from the discovery, but merely wished to see the vaccine disseminated as widely as possible. Salk's vaccine was composed of "killed" polio virus, which retained the ability to immunize without running the risk of infecting the patient. A few years later, a vaccine made from live polio virus was developed, which could be administered orally, while Salk's vaccine required injection. Further, there was some evidence that the "killed" vaccine failed to completely immunize the patient. In the U.S., public health authorities elected to distribute the "live" oral vaccine instead of Salk's.

There are vaccines that have eliminated poliomyelitis in America; and has controlled measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and other infectious diseases. We have only reached the beginning with vaccination in our society today. With technology improving there is a clearer road for a risk free vaccine process. Now that we have reached the 21st and effective vaccines will be strongly continued. Vaccines have truly reduced the number of people who get infectious diseases.

While vaccines will help each individual, it will also contribute to the future health of the generations to come. In the US, vaccines have reduced or eliminated many infectious diseases that once routinely killed or harmed many infants, children, and adults. That effect is greatly caused by the fact that more and more people are choosing to get vaccinated. Vaccines have eradicated Polio and smallpox along with other diseases. The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1948; the last case in the world was 1977 in Somalia.

Back in the age before the medical technology of vaccinations was invented, diseases such as polio, whooping cough, and measles struck massive death tolls on infants, adults and the elderly all around the world. Now diseases such as the measles and polio are rarely seen by doctors all thanks to the technology of vaccinations. What vaccinations actually do is either a killed or small doses of the disease is injected into a person’s body, allowing the body to recognize and create antibodies to stop the disease if it ever comes in contact with the person. An immunity is developed to the disease and vaccinations have been able to save lives all around the world and eradicate major diseases. As much as vaccinations has had a positive effect on

Opt-out laws for childhood immunizations are not a good thing. Children who are not vaccinated can spread the disease to others and cause an outbreak in their community. Vaccination is widely considered one of the greatest medical achievements of modern civilization. The smallpox vaccine has eradicated a disease that was responsible for centuries of outbreaks and deaths. Earlier childhood diseases are rarely observed thanks to vaccinations.

Doctors have tested vaccine shots over the years. The test result validated that vaccine shot is very effective with preventing diseases. Over 50 years ago, a case of the diseases measles was found(Sachs). There were 500,000 cases of the dangerous measles diseases(Sachs). A year after discovering the disease, vaccine shots were made to prevent measles (Sachs).

Prior to surgery, the patient would've needed an amputation. However, by incorporating these antiseptic procedures in all of his surgeries, he decreased postoperative deaths. The use of antiseptics eventually helped reduce bacterial infection not only in surgery but also in childbirth and in the treatment of battle wounds. Another man that made discoveries that reinforced those of Pasteur's was Robert Koch. Robert Koch isolated the germ that causes tuberculosis, identified the germ responsible for Asiatic cholera, and developed sanitary measures to prevent disease.

Salk’s research led him to create a vaccine different from any other by using 3 different kind of killed polio virus. In an article it says,”Using formaldehyde, Salk killed the poliovirus, but kept it intact enough to trigger the necessary immune response”(Salk’s institute 1). Salk 's decision to create a vaccine out of inactivated virus was not the strongest protector, but was made strong enough to cure and lower the risk of infection within patients. It was one of the first times someone attempted to take a completely opposite approach than what scientist thought was best. As he said in an interview, “ ‘The principle I was trying to establish was that it was not necessary to run the risk of infection, which would have been the case if one were to try to develop an attenuated or weekend polio virus vaccine’ ”( Salk 2).