Salk vs Sabin: The Race for a Polio Vaccine
Salk vs Sabin: The Race for a Polio Vaccine
In 2017, polio was close to eradication with only 37 reported cases worldwide. Today, cases have reemerged in 32 countries, including England. To understand how this happened, the course looks at the history and rivalry between two scientists working to develop vaccines for this devastating disease. Participants will examine how their approaches differed, which vaccines are most widely used today and how declining infrastructure and public health challenges have contributed to the disease’s resurgence around the world.
This course is currently unavailable.
Presenters | Michelle Langa & Doug Adams
Michelle Langa is a retired school superintendent with a deep interest in history. She has authored two books in education and enjoys writing as a hobby. Langa believes strongly in the adage that those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.
Doug Adams retired after a career in high-tech manufacturing. At age 7, he contracted the polio virus in 1952 and spent three months hospitalized. Adams shares the lasting physical and personal impacts the disease had on his life.
