Litvak Scientist Inscribed In World History: His Vaccine Saves The World From A Crippling Disease | Did you know?

However, the disease was stopped with a vaccine. 1953 american doctor dr. Jonas Salkas announced the successful development of vaccines. Soon a mass vaccination campaign began, and after a while, polio became history.

Lithuanians may also be interested in the fact that J Salkas is of Litvak origin. His paternal grandparents were from Ukmergė, they emigrated to the United States to avoid the anti-Semitic persecution that prevailed in the Russian Empire at that time. Her mother was also a Minsk-born Jew and immigrated to the United States as a child.

In this article, read about what polio was, how the disease was stopped with the first successful mass vaccination campaign, and how Salko’s life unfolded.

Salka is still considered by many Americans to be almost a national hero. Many were particularly fascinated by the fact that he strictly refused to seek or benefit from the patent on a vaccine he had developed with the team because he believed that the vaccine should be as accessible as possible to people around the world.

An especially dangerous disease for children.

Polio is an acute viral disease that causes paralysis of the spinal cord, usually paralysis of the leg muscles. The disease is most common in children younger than 5 years old.