Additional Coverage:
- RFK Jr.’s key advisor petitioned to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. Photos show the US’s last outbreak. (newsbreak.com)
Polio Vaccine: A History and Its Potential Return
In 1955, before polio vaccines, the virus caused 15,000 cases of paralysis annually in the US. Jonas Salk’s inactivated polio vaccine, licensed in 1955, dramatically reduced polio cases to 5,300 per year by 1957.
However, lawyer Aaron Siri petitioned the FDA in 2022 to revoke the polio vaccine approval. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a potential nominee for health secretary, has expressed support for Siri.
Despite Kennedy’s statements that he doesn’t plan to revoke any vaccines, he has a close relationship with Siri and the petition was filed on behalf of an organization close to Kennedy.
Polio is a highly contagious virus that affects the nervous system. While most cases are mild, about one in 200 causes irreversible paralysis. Between 5% and 10% of paralyzed patients die from respiratory muscle failure.
The US has had several polio epidemics, including major outbreaks in 1916 and 1937. In the 1950s, polio cases surged, with an estimated 60,000 children contracting the disease annually.
Treatments for polio included hot wool and physical therapy, which could sometimes worsen paralysis. Iron lungs were used to assist breathing in severe cases.
Celebrity support and public health campaigns helped promote the polio vaccine, which was widely distributed in 1955. Albert Sabin later developed an oral vaccine that became more widely used.
The combination of Salk’s and Sabin’s vaccines helped eliminate polio in the US by 1979. However, unvaccinated travelers can still bring polio into the country.
Experts warn that revoking polio vaccine approval could result in the virus’s resurgence. Pausing vaccinations could provide opportunities for polio to regain a foothold in the US.