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The Cutter Incident: How America's First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis

Resource Type

Book - Parent

Description

Describes the nation's relief when the polio vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk in 1955, the production of the vaccine at industrial facilities such as the one operated by Cutter, and the tragedy that occurred when 200,000 people were inadvertently injected with live virulent polio virus: 70,000 became ill, 200 were permanently paralyzed, and 10 died. Dr. Offit also explores how, as a consequence of the tragedy, one jury's verdict set in motion events that eventually suppressed the production of vaccines already licensed and deterred the development of new vaccines that hold the promise of preventing other fatal diseases.

Ages

All Ages

Languages

English

ISBN

0300108648

Author

Paul Offit

Publication

2005 Yale University Press

Availability

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