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Historical Background of Polio ( sited in: http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/polio)

By thejman12

  • The First Major Polio Outbreak

    The first major polio outbreak in the United States occurred in Vermont in 1894. The outbreak caused eighteen deaths and 132 cases of permanent paralysis. Charles Caverly was one of the first physicians to recognize that polio could occur with or without paralysis.

  • Discovery that Polio was contagious (Day and Month N/A)

    Ivar Wickman of Sweden suggested that polio was a contagious disease, meaning it could be spread from person to person. He also stated that polio could be apparant in people who did not have a lethal or sever from of polio, known as abortive cases.

  • Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper identify Poliovirus (Day and Month N/A)

    Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper of Vienna discover and announce polio is caused by a virus. The pair discovered this after injecting monkeys with the spinal cord fluid of a deceased person who had died of polio. The infected monkeys developed polio.

  • Polio Epidemic Strikes New York

    More than 2000 people are left dead in New York city after a polio epidemic broke out in Brooklyn. Across the United States as a whole, approximately 6000 people died, and left thousands paralyzed.

  • The Iron Lung (Day and Month N/A)

    In 1929, the Drinker respirator, or Iron Lung, was used as an artificial respirator for patients suffering from polio. The machine provided breathing support for those that had paralysis of teh diaphragm from polio.

  • Fundraising for the Vaccine (Day and Month N/A)

    Tens of Millions of dollers was raised towards finding a vaccine for polio in 1938. This came about due to the idea that citizens should send dimes to the president of that time, President Roosevelt, to help fight polio.

  • Hilary Koprowski Tests Vaccine on Himself (Day and Month N/A)

    In 1948, Hilary Koprowski took his own vaccine for polio. He and his assistant did not become ill or pass away from taking the vaccine.

  • Three Types of Poliovirus Discovered

    Isabel Morgan and David Bodian, in 1949, published papers that identified the three types of poliovirus. This work would be absolutely critical to the developement of a vaccine.

  • Huge Polio Vaccine Trial Begins in the United States

    The United States of America decide to test Jonas Salk's vaccine in 1954. Over 1.3 million children participated, The trial was a double-blind test, which means that the children were given either a placebo fluid, or the vaccine. The childre, parents, or health officials did not know which child had received which.

  • Announced that Vaccine will be Distributed Across Country

    Following the Polio Vaccine trials, it was announced that 80-90% of the Salk poliovirus vaccine was effective against paralytic polio. Following this, the vaccine was ready to be distributed across the country.

  • OPV and IPV (Day and Month N/A)

    Soviet health officials began a vaccination campaign of their own. This included Albert Sabin, who had joined the the officials, to feed an oral polio vaccine (OPV) to 10 million Soviet children. This was extremely effective, and caused great indecision between health officials accross the world which vaccine was more effective. The OPV, or IPV.

  • IPV distribution and use is stopped in the U.S (Day and Month N/A)

    the distribution and use of Jonas Salk's vaccine is ceased.

  • The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (Day and Monty N/A)

    The World Health Assembly vote to launch a global inititive called the 'global polio eradication initiative'. This called for the eradication of polio by the year 2000.

  • America Announces Elimination of Polio

    After three years had passed since the last case of polio in America, and following extensive reviewing of the Pan American Health Organization report, it was declared that Polio had been elimated from America

  • The World Starts to Completely Eradicate Polio (Day and Month N/A)

    Across the world, Polio was being eradicated. from 1988 to 2000, the reduction in cases had reached 99%

  • Even Today, Efforts Continue (Day and Month N/A)

    Even today, the efforts to fight Polio continue in some thrid world countries. It remains and endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, and India.