Growing up, many people knew someone affected by polio. It was a harsh reality. Those who survived often needed machines to help them breathe. Some used iron lungs. Others relied on rocking beds. These were not choices. They were necessities. The polio vaccine changed everything. Suddenly, new cases
In the 1960s and 1970s, three Dutch towns faced polio outbreaks. This was not just a health issue. It was a story of faith, tradition, and community. People in these towns chose not to get vaccinated. This choice was not random. It was a way to show who they were and where they belonged. The Dutch
Walter Dowdle, a key figure in public health, passed away at his home in Hahira, Georgia, on November 17, 2023. He was 94 years old. The cause of death was soft tissue sarcoma, a rare cancer he was diagnosed with just six weeks before his passing. Dowdle spent 34 years at the Centers for Disease Co
Polio eradication has been a long, winding road. Back in 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) set an ambitious goal. By 2000, they aimed to wipe out polio. They didn't quite make it, but progress was still impressive. By 2014, only three countries—Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan—w
The world is still aiming to get rid of polio, even though there's less money to do it. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has seen a big cut in funding. In 2026, their budget will be 30% smaller, and they're missing $1. 7 billion until 2029. This is mostly because some big donors, like
Do you know Mitch McConnell has had a lot of injuries but still carries on with his tasks in the senate. An example of this was in 2003 when he had a heart surgery in order to fix blocked veins in his heart. In spite of the difficulties McConnell endured, his doctors were confident that he
Vaccines come from different places and times, even if not made in the USA. In the 1980s someone was brewing up a new vaccine in China. A vaccine to fight polio. It was called the Sabin strains-derived inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV). This vaccine is part of the polio research legacy, so it is
As we celebrate 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, the quest to wipe out polio faces a big challenge – ensuring enough polio vaccines are available. Recent decades have seen great progress, but vaccine supply issues could reverse these gains. This examination, in line with the Immun
Long before vaccines, polio epidemics were deadly. In the 1916 outbreak, over 5000 people died in the U. S. alone. By 1952, the worst outbreak saw 57, 000 cases, with 21, 000 paralyzed and 3, 145 deaths. The polio vaccine since then has dramatically reduced cases worldwide by over 99%, saving millio
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who survived polio as a child, has a message for the incoming Trump administration: keep your distance from anyone trying to discredit the polio vaccine. "Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent should avoid even the appearance of association with such efforts,
