On April 12th, 1955, it was announced to the world that the Salk vaccine was found to be safe and effective. Instantly, Salk became a hero – a globally recognized household name. The relief and gratitude of parents worldwide were shown through awards, handwritten thank-you cards, and hundreds of newspaper headlines celebrating the news.
The work of Jonas Salk is ongoing, his legacy is living on in the Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign, which is leading us closer than ever to ridding our world of polio. The story of Jonas Salk and the early Pittsburgh polio vaccine volunteers inspires us to pull together to face our common problems and imagine a new and healthier future together.
Rotary International "End Polio Now" Campaign
Rotary is an international organization that brings together communities of leaders who aid in the process of addressing some of the world's most prominent issues. As of today, polio is prevalent in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. With only 6 cases of wild poliovirus in Afghanistan and 5 cases in Pakistan. We have never been this close to eradicating polio! This is due to the Rotary's End Polio Now Campaign and its successful efforts.
“The eradication of polio is one of our longest-standing and most significant efforts. We have
reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide and we won't stop until we end the disease for good.” - Rotary International, End Polio Now Campaign
The Rotary’s efforts would be obsolete without Salk’s vaccine. As the rotary relies on Salk’s innovative vaccine, Salk relied on the community of Pittsburgh. From 1953-1954 Salk vaccinated his family, lab team, and those who volunteered. Salk engaged local Pittsburgh area schools, asking over 7,500 parents to volunteer their children to take part in early vaccine trials.
Without this city’s courage and willingness to band together to fight Polio, Jonas Salk’s legacy may not be remembered today. Salk’s vaccine is Pittsburgh’s vaccine.
