who made the polio vaccine
The first widely used polio vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk , and a later oral polio vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin.
Who made the polio vaccine?
- In the early 1950s, American virologist Jonas Salk created the first effective polio vaccine, using “killed” (inactivated) poliovirus that was given by injection.
- A few years later, Albert Sabin developed an oral polio vaccine using weakened live virus, which was easier to administer to large numbers of children as drops by mouth.
Quick Scoop
- Salk’s injectable vaccine was announced as safe and effective in 1955 and quickly rolled out in mass vaccination campaigns, dramatically cutting polio cases in many countries.
- Sabin’s oral vaccine, introduced later in the 1950s, became central to global eradication efforts because it was cheaper, easier to give, and useful for large public health programs.
Mini timeline
- Late 1940s: Key lab methods to grow poliovirus in human tissue were developed, making vaccine research possible.
- Early 1950s: Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh finalize the inactivated polio vaccine and begin large trials.
- 1955: The Salk vaccine is declared safe and effective and adopted widely.
- Late 1950s–1960s: Sabin’s oral vaccine is tested internationally and adopted for mass immunization campaigns.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
