Here he was, a doctor's son. He was in an iron lung. For victims such as Sue Rowe, Charlie Lynn and Janet Hudson, the development of the polio vaccine in 1953 by Dr. Jonas Salk came too late. Salk's vaccine, approved for worldwide use in 1955, became the first vaccine developed for a disease of epidemic proportions since the smallpox vaccine was developed in 1796. Polio is a virus that attacks the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord.
Initial symptoms are similar to influenza.
Severe polio attacks cause stiffness of the neck and back, with weakening muscles, pain and potential paralysis. There are three types of polio viruses. Though scientists aren't certain exactly how polio is spread, it is believed that the virus spreads from the nose, throat and intestines of infected people. Some people have been known to carry the virus, yet not become ill. The Sabin vaccine, an oral one developed in 1961, is now given worldwide to children to prevent the disease.