Polio Vaccine

Lexile
800L - 900L

Polio is a dangerous disease that attacks the body’s nervous system. People can get polio when
they come into contact with the polio virus. A virus is a tiny organism that can make people sick.
The polio vaccine is a weakened form of the polio virus. The vaccine is given to people to keep
the virus from making them sick. It gives them immunity, or protection, from the polio virus.

The polio virus is contagious. It can be spread from one person to another. People can also get
polio by eating food or drinking water that has the virus.

The Disease

At first, people with polio may feel sore throats, stiffness and pain in the neck, arms or legs,
and tiredness. They may be sick to their stomach or have fever. In some cases, the illness gets
much worse. The person may die or become paralyzed in parts of the body. To be paralyzed
means that the person cannot move that part of their body. Most people with polio only
experience the first stage of the disease. Only a small portion of people will get the more serious
effects.

There is no existing cure for polio. The available polio vaccine is very important because it
prevents people from even getting the disease

Creating The Vaccine

The first polio vaccine was created in 1955 by Jonas Salk, an American scientist. He created
the vaccine when a polio epidemic broke out in the United States in 1916. This epidemic caused
widespread panic and tragedy all over the country. The epidemic resulted in over 27,000 people
paralyzed. 6000 people died of polio during the epidemic. When his vaccine was used in the
United States in 1955, the cases of polio decreased by 1,000 a year. With the help of polio Commented [S1]: (this is nanami, hello : ) actually, the first
vaccines, the Unites States was declared polio-free in 1979. reference I saw said 0.8 by 100,000 . The other reference said
1.,,000 a year, and I chose that since it would be easier to
understand
There are two types of polio vaccines. One is usually given by dropping the vaccine on the
mouth. Once the vaccine is swallowed, the weakened virus multiplies in the body. This causes the Commented [S2R1]:
body to generate antibodies against the virus. Antibodies are tiny parts of the body that fight a
virus. The mouth version of the vaccine is used in many parts of the world because it is
inexpensive and easy to give.

The other type of the polio vaccine is given with a shot. This is the type that most people in
the United States receive when they are young. The vaccine is injected into the blood and then
spreads throughout the body.
Who Gets The Polio Vaccine?

The polio vaccine is given to young children from two to eight months and four to six years of
age. The polio vaccine is not usually recommended for adults, specifically people ages eighteen
and older. Adults can be vaccinated even when they took the polio vaccine when they were
younger. They can only take the vaccine if they are traveling to areas where polio is common.
Adults who have not taken the polio vaccine in their childhood can also take the polio vaccine.
People who also work in labs where they would be at risk of being infected should also get
vaccinated. A person has a close contact with an infected person should also get vaccinated.

Some should not get the polio vaccine, regardless of age. An individual should not receive the
polio vaccine if they had an allergic reaction from a previous vaccination. If a person has an
allergy to any of the ingredients in the polio vaccine, they should not get vaccinated. Pregnant
women, sick individuals, and people with serious allergies are also usually told not to take the
polio vaccine.

- Nanami Dumas

Bibliography

Journal
Baicus, Anda. “History of polio vaccination.” World journal of virology vol. 1,4 (2012): 108-14.
doi:10.5501/wjv.v1.i4.108

Websites
Brunson, Emily K. “Vaccine.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.,
September 20, 2019.
<https://www.britannica.com/science/vaccine>
“History of Polio.” GPEI. Accessed November 22, 2019. <http://polioeradication.org/polio-
today/history-of-polio/>
“Polio.” Vaccines. Accessed November 22, 2019.
<https://www.vaccines.gov/diseases/polio>
“Poliomyelitis (Polio).” World Health Organization. World Health Organization, April 27, 2014.
<https://www.who.int/ith/vaccines/polio/en/>
“