The Poliomyelitis Vaccine

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Poliomyelitis, also known as polio, was the most feared childhood disease of the first half of the 20th century. It was an acute viral disease which was caused by the inflammation of the motor neurons of the brainstem and spinal cord. In addition, being affected by the poliovirus caused paralysis of the body and sometimes even death. It was a disease that scientists could not find a cure for it. But at the peak of its devastation in the United States, a vaccine has been introduced to prevent it. As a matter of fact, there has been two versions of the polio vaccine developed during the 20th century. The first vaccine was known as the Salk vaccine, created by scientist Jonas E. Salk, that contained three types of inactivated poliomyelitis viruses and induced immunity against the disease. The second vaccine was known as the Sabin vaccine, created by scientist Albert B.Sabin, that orally administered live viruses for immunization against poliomyelitis. In results “ the Salk and Sabin vaccines quickly reduced the number of polio cases in the countries where they were used extensively” during the 20th century(Wilson np). But the most effective polio vaccine that impacted the world the most till this day was the Sabin vaccine.
The first vaccine was known as the Salk vaccine, created by scientist Jonas E. Salk, that contained three types of inactivated poliomyelitis viruses and induced immunity against the disease. It has impacted the the 20th century by reducing the number of polio cases around the world . It was the beginning of the medical revolution.The birth of the Salk vaccine was in 1947, when Salk began research at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Because “The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, aware of...

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... children to administer [polio] vaccinations , as a method that will be introduced to many countries targeted for depopulation”(21Wire np).

Works Cited
Bill Gates and Polio. 21WIRE MEDIA, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
Hecht, Alan. Polio. Philadelphia: Chelsea, 2003. Print.
“Polio.” The History of Vaccines. College of Physicians of Philadelphia, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .
What Happened to Polio? Smithsonian National Museum of American History, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .
Wilson, Daniel J. “The End of Polio?” World History: Modern Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .

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