Table of Contents
What was the impact of polio on society?
What is the global impact of polio? Since 1988, more than 18 million people can walk today who would otherwise have been paralyzed, and 1.5 million childhood deaths have been averted thanks to the polio vaccine.
Why was the polio vaccine so important?
Polio used to be common in the United States. Before the polio vaccine, the disease killed thousands of people every year. Thanks to the polio vaccine, there hasn’t been a new case of polio in the United States in over 40 years. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent polio.
When did they stop giving out polio vaccines?
The oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is a weakened live vaccine that is still used in many parts of the world, but hasn’t been used in the United States since 2000.
Is polio still alive today?
The United States has been polio-free since 1979, thanks to a successful vaccination program. However, poliovirus is still a threat in some countries. Get your child vaccinated on schedule to help keep the U.S. polio-free.
How many lives did polio vaccine save?
Fact 2: We are 99% of the way to eradicating polio globally More than 16 million people have been saved from paralysis because of vaccination efforts against polio.
What is the most successful vaccine?
Smallpox vaccination with vaccinia virus is the most famous example of a highly effective vaccine and at the time when people were faced with smallpox outbreaks, this vaccine was associated with each of these characteristics that led to the implementation of a successful vaccine.
How many cases of polio are there in 2020?
Key Facts. Polio, a highly infectious and sometimes deadly disease that has plagued the world since ancient times, is now at very low levels, with 140 reported cases of wild poliovirus (WPV) in 2020.
When was the last case of polio in the world?
Of the 3 strains of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999 and no case of wild poliovirus type 3 has been found since the last reported case in Nigeria in November 2012. Both strains have officially been certified as globally eradicated.