History of Polio vaccine in Timeline

Polio vaccines are used to prevent poliomyelitis. There are two types: inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) given by injection, and oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) containing a weakened virus. The WHO recommends universal polio vaccination for children. These vaccines have been highly effective, reducing polio cases globally from approximately 350,000 in 1988 to just 33 in 2018, and eliminating the disease from most of the world.

November 1934: First trial site for Brodie's vaccine

In November 1934, Kern County, California, facing a severe polio outbreak, became the first trial site for Brodie's new polio vaccine on very short notice.

May 1935: Administration of Brodie's vaccine in Kern County

Between November 1934 and May 1935, over 1,500 doses of Brodie's vaccine were administered in Kern County. While initial results were promising, insufficient staffing and poor protocol design left Brodie open to criticism.

August 1935: Publication of California trial results

In August 1935, Brodie published the results of the California polio vaccine trials. However, due to insufficient staffing and poor protocol design, the results were open to criticism.

September 1935: Withdrawal of Kolmer's vaccine

In September 1935, Kolmer's live polio vaccine was withdrawn due to reports of children developing paralysis following vaccination.

October 1935: American Public Health Association Meeting

In October 1935, Kolmer and Brodie presented their polio vaccine research at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in Milwaukee, WI. Thomas M. Rivers critically discussed each paper, leading to a symposium on poliomyelitis at the association's southern branch meeting.

December 1935: Withdrawal of Brodie's vaccine

In December 1935, after three children became ill with paralytic polio following vaccination, the Warm Springs Foundation requested the withdrawal of Brodie's polio vaccine.

1939: Park's Retirement

In 1939, Park retired from his position with honors.

March 1948: Polio virus successfully cultivated in embryonic lung tissue

In March 1948, Thomas H. Weller successfully cultivated the poliovirus in embryonic lung tissue, after attempting to grow varicella virus.

February 1950: First test of Koprowski's live, attenuated vaccine

On 27 February 1950, Hilary Koprowski's live, attenuated polio vaccine was tested for the first time on an 8-year-old boy living at Letchworth Village in New York.

1952: Development of the first effective polio vaccine

In 1952, Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh developed the first effective polio vaccine.

1952: Polio outbreak in the U.S.

In 1952, the U.S. experienced a significant polio outbreak with 58,000 cases and 3,200 deaths.

March 1953: Salk announces successful test of polio vaccine

On 26 March 1953, Jonas Salk reported on CBS radio the successful test of his polio vaccine on a small group of adults and children; the results were published in JAMA two days later.

1953: Polio cases reach 35,000

In 1953, before mass vaccination, there were 35,000 cases of polio in the U.S.

1953: Polio outbreak in the U.S.

In 1953, the U.S. continued to experience a polio outbreak with 35,000 cases and 1,400 deaths.

February 1954: Testing of Salk vaccine begins

Beginning 23 February 1954, testing of Salk's polio vaccine commenced at Arsenal Elementary School and the Watson Home for Children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1954: Nobel Prize Awarded

In 1954, John Enders, Thomas H. Weller, and Frederick C. Robbins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for successfully cultivating the poliovirus in human tissue in the laboratory.

April 1955: Lépine announces effective polio vaccine

In April 1955, Pierre Lépine at the Pasteur Institute in Paris announced an effective polio vaccine.

April 1955: Reports of paralytic polio cases linked to Cutter vaccine

In April 1955, reports surfaced that patients contracted paralytic polio after being vaccinated with the Salk polio vaccine from the Cutter pharmaceutical company, with paralysis starting in the injected limb. It was later discovered that the Cutter vaccine had caused 260 cases of polio and 11 deaths.

April 1955: Announcement of the Francis Field Trial results

On 12 April 1955, the results of the Francis Field Trial were announced, revealing that the Salk vaccine was 60–70% effective against PV1, over 90% effective against PV2 and PV3, and 94% effective against the development of bulbar polio.

May 1955: Withdrawal of Cutter vaccine and establishment of Technical Committee

In May 1955, the Surgeon General pulled all polio vaccines made by Cutter Laboratories from the market. The National Institutes of Health and Public Health Services established a Technical Committee on Poliomyelitis Vaccine to test and review all polio vaccine lots.

November 1955: Meeting in Stockholm to discuss polio vaccines

In November 1955, Sabin presented results on 80 volunteers, while Koprowski detailed findings of a trial enrolling 150 people at a meeting in Stockholm.

1957: Polio cases decline after vaccination campaign

By 1957, following a mass immunization campaign, the annual number of polio cases in the U.S. had fallen from 35,000 in 1953 to 5,600.

1957: Sabin develops trivalent vaccine

In 1957, Albert Sabin developed a trivalent vaccine containing attenuated strains of all three types of poliovirus.

1957: Kolmer's Retirement

In 1957, Kolmer retired from Temple University as a professor of medicine after a productive career.

1959: Trial of Sabin's oral vaccine in the Soviet Union

In 1959, ten million children in the Soviet Union received Sabin's oral polio vaccine.

1961: Polio cases recorded in the United States

By 1961, only 161 cases of polio were recorded in the United States.

1961: Sabin's oral vaccine comes into commercial use

In 1961, Sabin's oral polio vaccine using live virus came into commercial use.

November 1987: Enhanced-potency IPV Licensed in the United States

In November 1987, an enhanced-potency Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) was licensed in the United States, becoming the preferred polio vaccine in that country.

1988: Global Polio Eradication Effort Begins

In 1988, a global polio eradication effort, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the Rotary Foundation, began. This initiative largely relied on the oral polio vaccine developed by Albert Sabin and Mikhail Chumakov (Sabin-Chumakov vaccine).

1994: Polio Eliminated in the Americas

By 1994, polio was eliminated in the Americas.

2000: Polio Eliminated in Western Pacific Countries

In 2000, the disease was officially eliminated in 36 Western Pacific countries, including China and Australia.

2002: Europe Declared Polio-Free

In 2002, Europe was declared polio-free.

2002: Approval of Pentavalent Combination Vaccine

In 2002, a pentavalent (five-component) combination vaccine called Pediarix, which contained IPV, was approved for use in the United States.

January 2011: No New Polio Cases Reported in India

As of January 2011, no cases of polio had been reported in India.

2011: CIA Organizes Fake Vaccination Program

In 2011, the CIA organized a fake vaccination program to help find Osama bin Laden, which became a cause of distrust towards vaccination programs.

February 2012: India Removed from WHO Polio-Endemic List

In February 2012, India was taken off the World Health Organization (WHO) list of polio-endemic countries.

November 2013: WHO Announced Polio Outbreak in Syria

In November 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a polio outbreak in Syria.

March 2014: India Declared Polio-Free

In March 2014, India was officially declared a polio-free country.

2014: Polio Virus Spreads to 10 Countries

As of 2014, the polio virus had spread to 10 countries, mainly in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Pakistan, Syria, and Cameroon advised vaccinations for outbound travelers.

2015: GAVI Supplies Inactivated Vaccine to Developing Countries

As of 2015, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) supplies the inactivated vaccine to developing countries for as little as €0.75 (about US$0.89) per dose in 10-dose vials.

2015: WHO Deal with Taliban

In 2015, the WHO announced a deal with the Taliban to encourage them to distribute the polio vaccine in areas they controlled.

September 2016: Attack on Polio Doctor in Pakistan

On 11 September 2016, two unidentified gunmen associated with the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, shot Zakaullah Khan, a doctor who was administering polio vaccines in Pakistan. The Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility and stated that the group would continue this type of attack.

2017: Remaining Polio Cases in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria

As of 2017, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria were the three countries with remaining polio cases. Resistance and skepticism towards vaccination programs has slowed down the polio eradication process within these countries.

August 2020: Afghanistan and Pakistan Only Polio-Endemic Countries

As of August 2020, Afghanistan and Pakistan were the only polio-endemic countries in the world, where wild polio has not yet been eradicated.

December 2020: Additional Precautionary Polio Vaccination Travel Requirements

As of December 2020, several countries have additional precautionary polio vaccination travel requirements, for example to and from 'key at-risk countries', which include China, Indonesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea.