Salk Polio Vaccine
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Pioneering research here at the University of Pittsburgh's Virus Research Laboratory from 1948 to 1955 produced the world's first polio vaccine. Led by Dr. Jonas Salk, researchers' innovations resulted in a breakthrough that was announced on April 12, 1955. Subsequent inoculations of school children virtually eradicated polio in the United States by 1962.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the years after World War II, polio was one of America's most feared diseases, paralyzing thousands of children each summer. At the University of Pittsburgh's Virus Research Laboratory, a team led by Dr. Jonas Salk worked from 1948 to 1955 to develop the world's first effective polio vaccine, announcing their breakthrough to a jubilant nation on April 12, 1955. Mass inoculations of schoolchildren followed, and within a few years the disease had all but vanished from the United States.
Why it matters
Salk's vaccine ended one of the great terrors of American childhood and stands as a landmark in the nation's history of medical research and public health.
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Related people
- · Dr. Jonas Salk
Related events
- · Announcement of the polio vaccine, April 12, 1955
Themes & tags
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Opened in 1917 in the former Watson family home, this institution began as a residential school for children with disabilities. In 1952 it became the stage for one of medicine's great turning points: Dr. Jonas Salk, aided by medical director Dr. Jessie Wright, carried out the first human trials of his polio vaccine here, working with patients, staff, and neighborhood children. The success of those tests led to the vaccine's 1955 approval and the eventual near-eradication of a disease that had terrified a generation of American families.
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