Why Is Polio Important In The 1950s?

Throughout the 19th and 20th century, there have been medical inventions and discoveries that have prevented countless medical conditions and diseases, resulting in healthier lives for American citizens. Although there were many inventions and discoveries made throughout this period, the 1950s had the largest impact on the lives of American citizens. Throughout the decade, many impactful discoveries were made that have both saved and drastically lengthened the lives of many people. Because of this, the 1950s were one of the most important decades for the discovery of medical diseases and conditions. The key medical advancements made during the 1950s include the creation of the polio vaccine that has saved countless lives since its creation,

Polio (also known as poliomyelitis) is an infectious virus that causes paralysis and sometimes death in people infected by it. Polio is also extremely contagious, able to infect people through person to person contact and unsanitary conditions.
The polio vaccine was originally created by Dr. Jonas Salk in the 1950s, and was shown to be 90% effective against types II and III polio, and 70% effective against type I polio. Because of the vaccines effectiveness, the United States government set a goal to vaccinate 30,000 children by the July of 1955. This goal was met, and caused a large portion of children in the United States to receive Salk’s version of the polio vaccine. Although the vaccine was effective, it was not a permanent solution to polio. After several years, a booster would be required to keep people immune to polio. This caused Albert Siben to begin development on another type of polio vaccine that would allow for easier administration and get rid of the need for booster vaccines. This resulted in the creation of the OPV (The Oral Polio Vaccine). Because of high portion of people in the United States that have already had the Salk polio vaccine, Siben used countries outside of the United States to test his version of the vaccine. After testing the vaccine in several other countries, it became apparent that Sabin’s vaccine was better than Salks. Because of the

Different groups such as the American Lung Society and American Heart Society started advocating for stricter laws regarding cigarette advertising, and have helped inform the public about the effects that cigarettes could have on the body. Along with advocacy groups, taxes were also put into place to dissuade people from buying cigarettes. The changes that were put into place have allowed for Americans to make an informed decision on if they want to smoke, and the many risks associated with