History of Anything: Polio

By Dominique Garcia

Poliomyelitis was carried through a virus called the Poliovirus. It

was an infectious disease.

Poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis or polio for short is a viral disease that affects the nervous system. It can lead to partial or full paralysis.

The beginningDuring the year 1789, a physician named Michael Underwood wrote the first clinical description of Polio.

The first outbreakThe first outbreak in the US happened in 1894 in Vermont with 132 cases. This new disease was not only bad but it was causing a lot of conflict. Polio was exposed to children under or around 5 years of age.

The Iron Lung: 1927The iron lung is a machine that helped patients in the early stages of Polio. In the early stages the virus would paralyze muscle groups in the chest. The iron lung would help patients breathe. Then they would recover but some patients were too weak to recover from the disease.

The trials were carried out for years before

they found a cure. They eventually came up with a succesful vaccine called the Salk vaccine.

The trials

The Salk vaccine The Salk vaccine was created by Jonas Salk to kill the virus. It was the first vaccine ever made. The vaccine was taken through injection.

Sabin Vaccine: Vaccine 2 The Sabin or Oral vaccine was created by Albert Sabin. The Oral vaccine was perfected to make people immune to Polio in general. This vaccine was taken as a liquid and patients would drink it.

Polio is no longer a disease people get. It is no longer a risk but it can sometimes be a

shot new-born babies are required to have.

The end of polio