Outbreaks occurred regularly in the United States through the 1950s, with two major polio outbreaks in 1916 and in 1952. Indeed, many scientists think that advances in hygiene paradoxically led to an increased incidence of polio. In September 1955, Boston Childrenâs then-president P.D. A well-known stele from the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt (1570â1342 bce) clearly depicts a priest with a telltale paralysis and withering of his lower right leg and foot. The disease was very well publicized during the polio epidemics of the 1950s, with extensive media coverage of any scientific advancements that might lead to a cure. It infected 57,000 people, paralyzed 21,000 and killed 3,145. At the time, little was known about this mysterious disease that paralyzed and sometimes killed young children. Polio, once the most feared of diseases, is about to be eradicated. Polio reached epidemic proportions in the early 1900s in countries with relatively high standards of living, at a time when other diseases such as diphtheria, typhoid, and tuberculosis were declining. Howe wrote, âHope grows that the end of this epidemic of 1955 may be in sight ⦠Polio Season. A larger outbreak struck New York City in 1916, ⦠The first major polio epidemic in the United States hit Vermont in 1894 with 132 cases. The fear of polio gripped the nation with fear and anxiety in a way that few had seen before. Epidemics grew worse as the years passed. For much of the twentieth century, the months of July, August, and September were known as âpolio season.â The earliest known case of polio in the United States was reported in Vermont in 1894. Of the 57,628 reported cases in 1952 , there were 3,145 deaths. Polio campaign of the 1950s is a sound model for what America needs for COVID-19 The March of Dimes won public trust for the polio vaccine. Polio - Polio - Polio through history: Polio epidemics did not begin to occur until the latter part of the 19th century, but evidence indicates that polio is an ancient disease. By Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh April 2, 2020 1:30 PM. The history of the 1955 polio outbreak suggests that health care providers will continue to grapple with the disease long after the worst of the crisis has passed. The United States experienced multiple polio epidemics, but its worst was in the early 1950s. The Deadly Polio Epidemic and Why It Matters for Coronavirus Polio was nearly eradicated with the Salk vaccine in 1955. A nationwide polio epidemic began in the late 1940s and early 1950s. New York City suffered the first major polio epidemic in 1916, resulting in 2,300 deaths. The worst polio outbreak in U.S. history struck in 1952, the year after Offit was born. 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