In Reply to: Re: Vaccines in the 50s posted by marie on Monday, December 14th 2020:

Marie, my homie, I'm sure you're right; that the vaccine was for polio in 1955. The official announcement that it was safe for use was made on April 12, 1955, on the 10th anniversary of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On or about that date I remember "Officer Joe Bolton" on WPIX, Channel 11, who hosted a clubhouse-type show (Little Rascals, etc.) announcing that "G-d has been good to us," and we now had a vaccine for the dreaded polio, etc.

In the summer of 1954, a friend came down with polio at the age of 12. She had to be in an iron lung for certain periods of time. Although she lived until about 4 years ago and completed college, she could never walk on her own or use her hands. A horrible disease that kept her a prisoner in her own body for decades. This was a horrible thought for any parent. I was warned not to run around, get all heated up and then caught in a draft since polio might then be the result. Indeed, the (Salk) polio vaccine was a godsend....

Reference ID: BK96595

Responses: