Health: Polio
These sites about polio explain how the disease is spread and the efforts to eradicate it by 2005. Find out where in the world there has been a recent increase in polio cases. See photographs documenting the fight against polio, and explore interactive timelines to learn why new cases have drastically decreased since the 1950s. Read biographies about Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, inventors of two different polio vaccines. Also learn about the iron lung and how it helped people with polio. Includes information about author Peg Kehret’s book, “Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio.”
Grades
- 4,
- 5,
- 6,
- 7,
- 8,
- 9,
- 10,
- 11,
- 12
Links
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Academy of Achievement: Jonas Salk, M.D.
Read a biography of Jonas Salk, the doctor who created a polio vaccine from the "killed" virus. Click on "Interview" for a transcript and video clips.
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Kids Health: Polio
This site explains the symptoms of polio and how it is transmitted and treated. NOTE: The site includes links to other medical topics, including articles discussing sex in medical terms.
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Fact Monster: Albert Sabin
Read a brief biography about Albert Sabin, the man who created a polio vaccine using the live virus.
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UNICEF: A World Without Polio
This site lists the seven countries that still had people infected with the virus.
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WHO: Pop-up Map
Scroll down to the small image of the map and click on "Progress Towards Eradication, 1988-2003" for an interactive timeline that shows the progress that has been made in the fight against polio.
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Fifty-one Years on an Iron Lung Doesn't Hold Woman Back
Read an article about a woman who was stricken with polio as a child and who still relies upon an iron lung to breathe.
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Iron Lung Photo
Here is a color photograph of an iron lung.
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PBS: Paralyzing Polio
This cartoon highlights the importance of the polio vaccine.
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Meet Peg Kehret
This is a short biography about author Peg Kehret, who wrote a book about her experience with polio.
Education Standards
