Today marks the 100th birthday of Jonas Salk, the American who discovered and developed the Polio vaccine. From Wikipedia: Until the Salk vaccine was introduced, polio was considered the most frightening public health problem of the post-war United States. Annual epidemics were increasingly devastating. The 1952 epidemic was the worst outbreak in the nations history. Of nearly 58,000 cases reported that year, 3,145 people died and 21,269 were left with mild to disabling paralysis,[1] with most of its victims being children. The public reaction was to a plague, said historian Bill ONeal.[2] Citizens of urban areas were to be terrified every summer when this frightful visitor returned. According to a 2009 PBS documentary, Apart from the atomic bomb, Americas greatest fear was polio.[3] As a result, scientists were in a frantic race to find a way to prevent or cure the disease. U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt was the worlds most recognized victim of the disease and founded the organization, the March of Dimes Foundation, that would fund the development of a vaccine. Vaccines are one of the great accomplishments of public health and remain one of the most important measures to save lives and reduce illness. BTW: Did you get your flu shot yet? If not, call us to make an appointment or come to our walk-in clinic on November 4th from 1:30 to 4:00 pm.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:47:27 +0000
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