Polio Vaccine Developer

Polio is a contagious disease that is caused by a virus which affects the throat and the intestinal tract. Still considered as one of the dangerous diseases affecting the human body, polio viruses travel to the brain and spinal cord and start to multiply. This results in the death of nervous tissue leading to crippled legs and in worst cases paralysis. Polio was once a major cause of disability in the US. However, after years of hard work, fate smiled and the vaccine was discovered in 1952 by Dr. Jonas Salk. Polio today is eradicated from majority of the countries but still exists in some developing countries which is a sad thing.

The year 1921 was one of the worst years in the history of the United States. A plague named poliomyelitis or polio had ripped America's heart. In the summer of 1921, a young boy named Franklin Delano Roosevelt had gone on a vacation with his family at their estate. After an exhausting fun day Franklin went to sleep thinking he had contracted a cold. However, after a few days he was diagnosed with polio. The same boy was crowned as the 32nd president of the United States of America. Well, most of the people at that time were not as lucky as Roosevelt. He survived because he had the will and also followed strict hygiene methods which helped him survive this tragic disease.

Developer of Polio Vaccine

The history of polio vaccine is also very interesting. 1950 was the year which saw the highest number of polio cases in America. Parents were so afraid that their children might get polio infection that they stopped sending their children to school. In this dreaded time a young medical doctor was doing extensive research related to the polio virus, his name was Jonas Salk. Dr. Salk was born in New York city to Russian Jewish immigrants. Though his parents were not well educated they ensured that their children received the best of education. Jonas Salk was the first person in his family to attend college. Although he intended to study law first, but he soon became interested in the medical field and decided to become a doctor. While he was studying medicine, Salk was invited for a year to study the deadly virus influenza. Influenza had recently been discovered and Salk showed great interest in carving out a treatment for this. After medical school, Salk spent some more years studying influenza. In 1947, Salk was hired as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. It was at this university that he started working with the Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Then after eight years of hard work he discovered the polio vaccine in 1955.

Dr. Salk was hailed as a national hero. Human tests of the vaccination proved successful and the news of the discovery was made public on April 12, 1955. All this fame and success didn't change the good and humble nature of Dr. Salk. He had no monetary intentions, he just wanted the polio vaccine to spread as widely as possible. The polio vaccine developed by Salk used to eradicate the polio virus which ensured a person with a healthy immune system.

Oral Polio Vaccine Developer

Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) is also a good option of eradicating the virus from the body. OPV has antibodies in it, when taken orally it provides immunity from the virus. It proves to be a boon in the time of infection as it protects the against paralysis of polio. He developed the vaccine in 1958 by studying the effect of polio virus in monkey kidneys. Once consumed, the vaccine settles in the intestine. This colonization helps act as a defense against the deadly polio virus. Once taken OPV ensures that our immune system is well protected against the polio virus and all its side effects. This directly increases the count of white blood cells and also boosts the memory cell development.

As of today polio has been eradicated from almost all parts of the world. The direct credit goes to great human beings like Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Albert Sabin. I hope this article on polio vaccine developer has provided all the required information you needed.