Polio vaccines have been a massive public health victory in the US. But purely celebratory messaging overlooks the ongoing threat if vaccination rates fall.
The chief executive, not only in his presidential role but as a grandfather, praised Salk as a "benefactor of mankind" and told the 40-year-old scientist who discovered the life-saving vaccine that his work was the "highest tradition of selfless and dedicated research."
Tons of Salk anti-polio vaccine were rushed to points throughout the country today and public health authorities planned to start inoculating 57 million American youngsters almost immediately.