polio Flashcards
how did the polio epidemic affect a small town in Whytheville Virginia?
the town was extremely overcome with the polio epidemic
what were polio symptoms
paralysis, death, flu like symptoms
why did polio symptoms vary
because they depended on individuals immune systems and strength
what was unusual about Franklin Roosevelts polio?
he was an adult (39 years old)
how did Roosevelt Franklin getting polio change the course of the viruses history?
Franklin dedicated his money/power to getting rid of polio
who was Basil O’conner?
the handpicked successor of F.R to lead the polio crusade
what contributions did O’conner make to polio?
he continues the Polio crusade and eventually finds a vaccine
why were cases of polio skyrocketing in 1930’s?
because during this time America had been becoming more sanitary so people had less antibodies
how was the 1930 polio skyrocketing ironic?
because the people were being more clean yet getting more sick
how was polio transmitted?
through the ingestion of human feces
what is the march of dimes?
fundraising for polio, scaring americans into giving a dime or more
how did the march of dimes become so successful?
Everyone was giving what they could and it quickly added up
what progress had been made on the march of dimes by the 1940’s?
they were making 22 million per year, able to offer free polio care, but still no sign of vaccine and cases are still rising
what measures did people take to avoid polio?
they would were masks, spray DTT, and rarely go out
in 1949 what were the thoughts of the scientific community on the polio vaccine?
they thought it was too far out of reach and would not be ready for at least 10 years
who was Jonas Solk?
a medical researcher at the university of pittsburg with an intense and competitive personality
“gold standard” in developing a vaccine
to develop the vaccine through a LIVE virus
what was Jonas Solks idea for developing the polio vaccine?
to use a DEAD virus
how did people react to Jonas Solks idea?
the rejected it and thought it would kill people
After Solks tested his vaccine on monkeys, what was next?
orphans and mentally or physically ill children
how did Jonas Solks first round of human testing go?
better than expected, the kids were building antibodies
by 1952 how was the polio virus impacting the U.S?
horribly + a new strand came out causing more adults/teens to become even sicker than the children were
what was the iron lung?
the first ventilator to be invented
what was the iron lung like for patients?
it was mental and physical torture, they stared at the ceiling with compressions on their chests and loud noises constantly
in full scale human trials, what leap of faith was required by parents?
parents had to have faith that the vaccine would not make their children sick
what were the results of the large scale trails?
it worked
how did American public respond to the success of polio vaccination?
they were overwhelmed with joy and celebrated the success
why did the gov temporarily stop the polio vaccine?
because a lot of children were getting sick who had the vaccine
what went wrong with the vaccine?
Producers of the vaccine in Birkley California messed up the formula causing those who had it to become sick
within 2 seasons what effect did the vaccine have on new polio cases?
there was a decrease in the cases by 50%
by 1994, what was the status of polio in the u.s?
it was declared eradicated
