The world risks forgetting one of humanity’s greatest triumphs as polio nears global eradication − 70 years after Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in a Pittsburgh lab

By: Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: December 19, 2025

Words: 1,249

Last Updated: 6 days, 20 hours ago

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By Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh

It was like a horror movie. The invisible polio virus would strike, leaving young children on crutches, in wheelchairs or in a dreaded “iron lung” ventilator. Each summer, the fear was so great that public pools and movie theaters closed. Parents canceled birthday parties, afraid their child might be the next victim. A U.S. president paralyzed by polio called for Americans to send dimes to the …

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