1800s

Paralytic poliomyelitis (polio) takes its toll worldwide, affecting mostly children. The disease is known as infantile paralysis.

1894

First known polio epidemic in the United States occurs in Vermont.

1900s

1908

Dr. Karl Landsteiner discovers that the cause of infantile paralysis is a virus.

1916

The first major epidemic of polio documented in the United States strikes, paralyzing young children and horrifying the nation. Increasing numbers of outbreaks occur each year in the U.S.

1920s

1921

Franklin D. Roosevelt is diagnosed with polio.

1927

Roosevelt organizes the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation for polio sufferers.

1928

The first iron lung is used to preserve breathing function in patients with acute polio.

1930s

1932

Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected President of the United States.

1938

President Roosevelt founds the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP, known today as the March of Dimes).

1938-1958

March of Dimes recruits celebrities to help raise funds and awareness in its efforts to fight polio.

1940s

1942

Dr. Jonas Salk arrives at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Techniques earned there with influenza are used later to develop the polio vaccine.

1945

President Roosevelt dies on April 12.

1947

Salk is recruited by the University of Pittsburgh to develop a virus research program.

1948-49

Scientists from four universities confirm there are only three strains of poliovirus.

1950s

1952

The worst recorded polio epidemic in United States history occurs, with 57,628 reported cases.

1954

Dr. Salk and associates develop a potentially safe injectable vaccine against polio, (IPV) given to nearly 15,000 Pittsburgh-area subjects (most were children) in pilot trials, 1952-1954.

Dr. Thomas Francis, Jr., University of Michigan, directs field trials of Salk vaccine sponsored by NFIP. The trials are the largest in U.S. history, involving 1.8 million children, and use the now standard double-blind process for the first time.

Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded to John F. Enders, Thomas H. Weller, and Fredrick C. Robbins for their discovery of the ability of poliomyelitis viruses to grow in tissue cultures.

1955

On April 12 at the University of Michigan, Dr. Francis announces field trial results: Salk vaccine is “safe, effective and potent.” Dr. Francis’s Vaccine Evaluation Center becomes the model for future vaccine trials.

1955-57

Once vaccine becomes available, incidence of polio in the United States falls by 85-90%.

1960s

1961

Oral polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Albert Sabin, is licensed for use in the United States.

1963

Congress establishes the Immunization Grant Program; polio incidence plummets to only 396 reported cases in the United States.

1970s

1979

Last U.S. case of polio caused by wild poliovirus.

1980s

1985

Rotary International establishes its PolioPlus program, which holds two fundraising events. Rotary has contributed over $500 million to fight polio worldwide.

1988

Global Polio Eradication Initiative is launched as global burden of polio impacts 350,000 in 125 countries annually. Spearheading partners include the World Health Organization, Rotary International, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF.

1990s

1994

The Americas are certified polio-free.

1999

The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that the oral vaccine be discontinued in the United States, and a modified IPV becomes the preferred vaccine.

2000s

2000

The Western Pacific Region is certified polio-free.

2002

The European Region is certified polio-free.

Rotary International launches a second fundraising campaign to eradicate polio.

2005

April 12, 2005 marks the 50th anniversary of the Salk vaccine. Efforts to eradicate polio worldwide remain necessary, with just over 1,200 cases globally.

 Return to Polio Vaccine 50th Anniversary

Photo credit: Photography provided by The March of Dimes and Rotary International.

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