Fierce Healthcare's Fierce 15 of 2024

History Today: How The World Came To Embrace The First Polio Vaccine

On February 23, 1954, the world's first-ever polio vaccine was administered in Pittsburgh, United States. This day is also significant because the Gutenberg Bible was first published in Germany, paving the way for the 'Gutenberg Revolution' that made books and knowledge accessible to everyone read more

In the early 20th century, polio was one of the most feared diseases in industrialised countries.

The disease paralysed hundreds of thousands of children every year.

It was only in the mid-century that effective polio vaccines to be widely used were introduced.

On this day, in 1954, the first polio vaccine was administered in Pittsburgh, United States.

But have you wondered who received the first-ever vaccine? In our ongoing series History Today, we take a look at this and other important events that shaped the world we live in today.

First polio vaccine delivered

On February 23, 1954, a group of children from Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh received the first injections of the new polio vaccine, known as inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) or Salk vaccine.

Developed by American physician Jonas Salk, the vaccine helped in reducing about 99 per cent of the polio cases globally by the 21st century.

However, the achievement wasn't without struggles.

Polio or poliomyelitis was then a highly contagious disease, attacking the nerve cells, and even the central nervous system sometimes.

Even as medicines advanced in the first half of the 20th century, polio persisted, affecting mostly children.

On February 23, 1954, a group of children from Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburg received the first injections of the new polio vaccine, known as inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) or Salk vaccine. Image Courtesy: Pittwire

The most famous victim of a 1921 polio outbreak in America was future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was then a young politician. The disease spread quickly and left his legs permanently paralysed.

Dr Salk, Virus Research Lab's head at the University of Pittsburgh, had figured out that polio had as many as 125 strains of three basic types.

Salk created his vaccine by multiplying polio virus samples and then deactivating, or "killing," them by adding a substance called formalin. This allowed the vaccination to immunise without actually infecting the patient.

The vaccine had an amazing success rate of about 60-70 per cent.

However, tragedy occurred when a single defective batch of the vaccine triggered an outbreak of about 200 polio cases. This had prompted the manufacturers to raise the production standards, and by the following year, about four million polio vaccines had been administered.

From 14,647 in 1955 to 5,894 cases in 1956, the US then witnessed a significant drop in the cases.

Also, since the vaccine was so successful, almost 90 additional nations embraced it.

Also read: Why are polio cases rising in Pakistan once again?

The Gutenberg Bible published

This day is also significant for many historians who agree that the Gutenberg Bible was first published in Mainz, Germany on February 23, 1455.

It was the first book produced in Western Europe using movable metal type, that had been in use for nearly 100 years in China and Korea. For those who are unaware, movable type is made up of blocks of separate letters and symbols that may be easily rearranged to produce various words and sentences.

Johannes Gutenberg, the man who created the Gutenberg Bible, is credited with creating the metal types, oil-based ink, and wooden printing press that were utilised in the new printing method.

Biblia latina (Bible in Latin). Mainz: Johann Gutenberg, 1455. Image Courtesy: Library of Congress

He published about 160-180 large-format copies of the Latin Bible in 1455, making it rare and expensive. There are currently 48 whole or partially surviving Gutenberg Bibles.

Prior to the Gutenberg Bible, every Western manuscript had been manually copied, which could take several years as well as a lifetime's earnings.

Books were deemed a luxury at the time, available only to the very rich, religious and educational institutions.

Nearly all literate people today have access to books and knowledge thanks to the technology that sparked the so-called "Gutenberg Revolution."

Also read: Sotheby's to auction Hebrew Bible estimated at $50 million: Why is it so special?

R Kelly sentenced

Fast forward to 2023, on this day, American R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to an additional year in federal prison atop his previous 30 year he was serving on a separate federal sentence in New York.

The additional year stemmed from a verdict in September 2022 in a federal court in Illinois, in which he was found guilty of making child pornography with three victims, including his godchild, "Jane," 14.

R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago. AP

The disgraced musician had been facing allegations on sexual abuse for more than two decades.

The allegations went back to the start of his career in the 1990s, with many counts of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.

His original sentence and conviction stemmed from a 2021 trial that found him guilty on nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.

Notably, the singer himself was the victim of child sexual abuse.

He had shared details in his autobiography how he was raped by a female family member when he was eight years old.

End of Article

WHO Hails Gaza Polio Campaign But Warns On US Pullout

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Guest Column: It's Time To Rethink How We Talk About Vaccines. Here's Why.

The public health community did a remarkable job during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are aspects of our response that could've been better, starting first and foremost with public health communication.

Public health officials responded to the pandemic at the population level but overlooked that individuals make up the population.

We made declarations from a distance and assumed everyone would fall in line. When we realized fear and history and, yes, even politics, were at play leading to vaccine hesitancy, we only doubled down on our messaging.

It's time for a reset.

Vaccines are typically discussed in absolute yes or no terms. But very little in public health is ever absolute. We in the public health community need to provide up-to-date scientific research and the best available information along with a clear risk analysis.

In the early 20th century, a polio diagnosis was a devastating blow to children and their families, often leading to a lifetime of pain, paralysis and breathing difficulties — even death. There is no cure for polio and it's highly contagious. According to physician and virologist Dr. Paul Offit, Americans' fear of this disease was second only to the atomic bomb.

Thomas LaVeist

Provided photo

We no longer fear polio. The vaccine for poliomyelitis has made this debilitating disease almost entirely a thing of the past, so much so that hardly anyone alive remembers the dread that polio provoked. And we keep that risk low only due to continued widespread vaccination.

There were issues with the initial polio vaccine. Vaccines manufactured by one individual laboratory were not safe, which directly led to many of the regulatory processes that now ensure vaccines are both safe and effective.

We hope we don't have to relearn the lessons we learned decades ago. Polio cases peaked at nearly 58,000 cases in the United States in 1955, the year the polio vaccine was discovered. Polio vaccination mandates for school children were implemented in the ensuing years. The vaccine regime has been so successful that in 2024 there were only 672 polio cases reported across 39 countries.

Even with strict safety regulations (which were followed for COVID-19 vaccines), a wide variety of factors can make a specific vaccine a risk factor for a particular individual. The factors vary from vaccine to vaccine but could include a weakened immune system or a history of allergy to some vaccine components.

Pierre Buekens

Provided photo

The critical issue is risk and weighing your risk of contracting a disease against the potential risks of a vaccine.

In the vast majority of cases, the risk of disease — and the consequences resulting from disease — far outweighs any potential danger from a vaccine. But we need to listen to and address concerns rather than dismissing them.

Another way we have fallen short in communicating about vaccines is by neglecting to correct the belief that a vaccine prevents disease entirely. Vaccines imitate disease and trigger antibodies to fend off disease. Having antibodies of a virus gives the body a valuable tool to fight disease-causing microbes. In the best case, you will not get sick at all. But if you do, the vaccine will keep you from getting as sick as you ordinarily would have and will help you to recover faster.

Finally we need to do a better job of explaining what herd immunity is — and what it's not.

Herd immunity means that a large enough percentage of a given population has adequate immunity to a disease to protect those who don't have immunity. The percentage of the population needed to achieve herd immunity varies depending on the infectiousness of a disease. For instance, 95% of the population needs to be immune to measles to protect the other 5%. For polio, an 80% immunity protects the other 20%.

Achieving herd immunity against a disease like COVID-19 or influenza is very difficult with vaccines and nearly impossible without vaccines because both of these viruses change or mutate frequently. That's why there's an annual flu vaccine and why the COVID-19 vaccine has been updated multiple times to address currently circulating strains.

A well-vaccinated community protects everyone, including those who can't get vaccinated. We need to actively listen and respond to those who are hesitant, and provide clear, easy-to-understand information that will allow them to make informed decisions.

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