The Polio Vaccine 50 Years Later: Key Player Reflects on Vaccine's Progress.

On the 50th anniversary of the announcement that the Salk vaccine could protect against polio, the development team's sole survivor reflects on what was achieved.

Half a century ago in the United States, polio paralyzed more than 16,000 children and killed nearly 2,000 annually. That doesn't happen any more, and this achievement is due in part to the work of noted virologist Julius S. Youngner, ScD, the only survivor of the core team who, led by Jonas Salk, MD, developed an effective injectable killed virus vaccine.

Dr. Youngner joined Dr. Salk's team in 1949 and was responsible for much of the work toward large-scale production of the vaccine and methodology for safety testing of batches.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the April 12, 1955, announcement that the Salk vaccine worked. The results were later published in the Aug. 6, 1955, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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