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History of vaccinations
Essay on the history of polio
Essay on the history of polio
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The Polio Vaccine
The discovery of the polio vaccine was an important medical and scientific breakthrough because it saved many lives since the 1950s. In the summer of 1916 the great polio epidemic struck the United states. By the 1950s hundreds of thousands of people had been struck by the poliomyelitis. The highest number of cases occurred in 1953 with over 50,000 people infected with the virus.
When hygienic conditions were poor polio attacked infants. The disease was spread by contaminated water and contact with fecal contamination. Many infants died when the conditions were poor. But as conditions improved the virus spread differently. It was spread more through playmates and family members, the contamination came from the nose and throat. By the early 1950s, twenty-five percent of paralytic cases occurred in people 21 years old or older.
Jonas Salk M.D. developed the polio vaccine. Salk's vaccine was composed of a "killed" polio virus. This virus kept the ability to immunize while preventing the infection of the patient. Later a "live" vaccine was developed from the live polio virus. This "live" vaccine could be administered orally as opposed to the "killed" vaccine which required an injection. There was some evidence that the "killed" vaccine didn't completely eliminate the virus in the patient. United States public health authorities decided to distribute the oral "live" vaccine to eliminate the polio virus instead of Salk's "killed" vaccine. Unfortunately, the "live" vaccine infected some people instead of immunizing. Countries that used Salk's "killed" vaccine have nearly eradicated the virus.
Jonas Salk received his medical degree in June 1939 from New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Salk moved to A...
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...me additional information about how he created his vaccine.
The Hall of Science and Exploration: Interview page 2; 1-26-99 *http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/sal0bio-2*
The interview gave me knowledge of how Dr. Salk thought and felt about what he was doing. It also told me additional information about how he created his vaccine.
The Hall of Science and Exploration: Interview page 3; 1-26-99 *http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/sal0bio-3*
The interview gave me knowledge of how Dr. Salk thought and felt about what he was doing. It also told me additional information about how he created his vaccine.
Hargrove, Jim. The Story of Jonas Salk and the Discovery of the Polio Vaccine. Childrens Press: Chicago, 1990
This book told me how Jonas Salk conducted his research and what some of his results were. This may have been my most helpful source.
At first polio was a troubling prospect when it first reared its ugly head in the United States of America. In a noble effort to be rid of polio, America as a whole was to adopt stringent sanitation measures. Everywhere, especially the home was to be spotless and clean in order to try and prevent the contraction of polio. This coupled with the view that America as a western nation seemed impervious to such a lowly disease tried to assuage American fear of the disease. Despite the measures commonly adopted throughout the myriad of cities and towns, polio still managed to spread around the country and wreak havoc taking thousands of lives. An outbreak that ravaged America claimed nearly 27,000 lives in a terrible reckoning before it finally subsided. This and several other troubling outbreaks
The article, “Motivated Rejection of Science” stood out to me because the vast amount of scientific research to back up findings and the vast majority of the population that rejects it. Lewandowsky and Oberauer discuss the prevalence of false beliefs in the general population. They bring up the popular conspiracy theories that have either false or no scientific research, plaguing the minds of many. When the majority of the general population believe in a certain theory – like the vaccines that are ‘linked’ to measles, Autism, mumps, and rubella – the effects can be detrimental. The vaccine craze was felt worldwide and is the best example of misinformation.
There is then a change in the theme of the documentary. It transitions into a documentary about the negative effects of medical drugs. Gary Null and other “experts” focus on malpractice by doctors. They provide examples such as Alan Yuko’s. The bias in the tone of the parents of baby Yurko, who died of shaken baby syndrome, and the experts involved in the trial is clear. They claim the medical system forces kids to have vaccines. The documentary then focuses on the effects of other diseases. It offers an alternative to drugs– nutrients. The people interviewed ignore the effects of disease, and blame the deaths on only the
Researchers were unable to identify what caused Polio to spread. It seemed to be more common in cleaner environments, unlike other diseases. Polio was found more often in the middle class rather than the poor. One reason that the polio virus was so difficult to discover, was because it wasn’t a bacteria and because most microscopes couldn’t detect the microbial agent. Another problem that created difficulties for scientists, was that the researchers couldn’t discover how the virus got
They needed healthy men, and I am somewhat healthy, so I just had to do it. I had to talk to others to see what is happening in their point of view, and I also had to see their opinion about these things. I figured that I needed to talk to a man named Dr. Waldo. Since he was a doctor, I asked him what was happening, what he saw. The look on his face was unbearable to stand, anyone who looked at him would be terrified at what he was about to say. He told me that it was a terrifying experience, and that 1,800 to 2,500 men were dying in December-June, he also said that there were many diseases such as smallpox ( when Dr. Waldo was experimenting, I was one of them to be experimented on, and now I’m immune to it), dysentery, typhoid, and pneumonia.(Busch, 147) By then, even I was shaking, I knew that it would be hard, but it was a risk that I was willing to
The authors used a historical timeline to introduce a need. Stressing the number of lives lost allows the authors show the importance of vaccines. The repeated emphasis on those lives being the lives of children played on the emotions of readers. Once the need is established Lee and Carson-Dewitt clarify the use of “a dead or mild form of a virus” to create a vaccine (Lee, Carson-Dewitt, 2016, p.2). The distinction of the types of
... that it combined the perfect amount of medical history, scientific fact and storytelling; creating a brilliant account that kept me wanting to find out more. It was full of interesting information that helped me to understand more about the cholera epidemic and the views of public health and medical practice of the people in 1854 London.
The first discovery was made in 1952, in the developing field of virology. Virology is the study of viruses and how they behave. To develop the vaccines for the viruses, researchers infected the HeLa cells with many types of infections, such as measles, mumps, and the infamous poliomyelitis virus, also known as Polio. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose mission is to save lives and protect people’s health security, Polio is a "crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person invading the brain and spinal cord and causing paralysis" (Freeman). Jonas Salk, who was a virologist at the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP), used inactivated viruses (virus particles grown in culture and then killed by a form of heat) to create a polio vaccine. Salk drew blood from about two million children, which the NFIP checked for immunization.Through the collection of many HeLa cells and trial and error, the polio vaccine wa...
The death rate was on the decline and life expectancy rose during this period. New medical developments were made with the federal funding of medical research in which penicillin and streptomycin were developed. These advancements in medicine have cured many bacterial infections and severe illnesses. Later, in 1952, Jonas Salk introduced a polio vaccine. There was a vast migratory pattern among many Americans during this time period.
Piddock, Charles. "Winning the War on Polio." Current Health 2 10 2004: 25-7. ProQuest. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
In Conclusion, Understanding Polio’s etiology, history and epidemiology, as well as proper treatments will assist in avoiding its return. Although polio has been known to substantially affect a wide population in a small amount of time, eradication of this disease may also be accomplished in a short period of time. Scientists and medical professionals continue to research this disease in order to better understand and maintain it for many years to come. There are still aspect of the disease people do not understand that may be vital for the future of a polio-free world.
Edward Jenner is often regarded as the “Father of Immunology” for his development of the smallpox vaccine. His remarkable discovery has laid the foundation for future scientists working with immunizations. Jenner’s impact is seen worldwide to this day with the complete eradication of the deadly smallpox virus. Edward Jenner’s Legacy will always live on as the first to vaccinate using a live virus. Vaccines are improving everyday, which benefits the public’s health, all thanks to Edward Jenner.
Poliomyelitis, also known as Polio, is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. Most victims to this disease are younger than five years of age; they are more likely to get this disease than any other age group. Out of two hundred people infected with the polio disease one is most likely to result in paralysis. The Polio Virus has decreased greatly since the Polio Vaccine was developed. In 2010 a WHO (World Health Organization) pole reported only 1,352 cases worldwide. Since the Polio Vaccine was developed the U.S has not has a single Polio case since 1979.
Paley gave the introduction part directly with a conversation. It introduced a man named Vicente that want to be a doctor. The story showed that he had a passion for that. He studied every bone and organ in the body, how it is for and how it works.
The first part of the history-taking process is creating an appropriate environment. Ideally, the interview takes place in an area that is safe, accessible, and free from distractions and interruptions. During this initial process, the interviewer introduces themselves and states their purpose and obtains consent to proceed with the health history interview. Additionally, the initial part of the interview is the time to establish the patient’s identity, age, and preferred way of being addressed. A relationship built on trust and respect for the patient’s privacy is necessary to developing a good rapport. It is important to remain unbiased and professional and furthermore, to treat the client with dignity. After introductions are made, the patient should be given time to tell their story in their own words. Active listening is a must during this interaction and involves both verba...