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In 1953, Dr.Jonas Salk announced he had found a cure to polio by developing a vaccine that passed human trials. This announcement was a historic mark in not only healthcare, but American History. The discovery of the vaccine for the polio virus dramatically changed health care and the way people viewed it. In the two years before the vaccine was widely available, the average number of polio cases in the U.S. was more than 45,000 (4). By 1962, that number had dropped to 910 thanks to the discovery of the cure by Dr. Salk (5). The disease caused the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis to institute their March of Dimes campaign, a way similar to Victory Gardens in where the people became involved with helping fins cures. This organization has continued through history and was the main cause for funding the cure for polio. The vaccine was able to almost eliminate polio forever in the United States, a historic mark.
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How it Changed History & Medicine
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