Do you still remember China’s “best tasting vaccine”?

On March 26, 1953, the first polio vaccine was successfully developed.

Poliomyelitis, commonly known as poliomyelitis, is caused by a neurotropic virus that specifically attacks motor neurons in the central nervous system. The virus causes the related muscles to lose nerve innervation, leading to atrophy, especially affecting children aged 1 to 6 years old. Even if the survivors are able to save their lives, they are often accompanied by lifelong disabilities. The reason why polio is so terrifying is not only because of the serious consequences it causes, but also because of its hidden nature before the onset of the disease. In the early stages of the disease, patients often only show symptoms similar to the common cold, which can easily mislead parents to take conventional cold treatment measures. However, when the fever subsides, some patients will suddenly experience limb paralysis. In severe cases, the respiratory muscles may even be affected, leading to the tragedy of suffocation and death.

On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk, a pathologist at the University of Pittsburgh, successfully developed a new vaccine against polio. Nearly one million children around the world participated in the trial vaccination of polio vaccine, providing a basic and effective means of protection against polio for future generations.

New vaccine trial successful

In 1916, New York City, the United States, suffered its first polio epidemic, with more than 9,000 people infected, most of whom were children. Since then, the number of patients has continued to rise. By 1952, the number of cases reported in the United States had surged to 57,628. Poliomyelitis has become a major threat to public health in the United States after World War II, and the public's fear of it is second only to nuclear war. In view of the lack of effective treatment methods, people are eagerly looking forward to the development of polio vaccines.

In 1938, the famous polio patient and US President Roosevelt personally initiated and established the National Polio Foundation, which aims to treat patients and fund vaccine development.

In 1947, Jonas Salk of the University of Pittsburgh began to devote himself to the research and development of polio vaccine. He proposed a subversive view: using live viruses is extremely risky, and we should explore the possibility of inactivating viruses while retaining their ability to induce immune responses. This view was considered heretical at the time, because traditional vaccines were all made from weakened viruses, and Salk was therefore questioned and rejected by his peers.

However, Salk did not give up. In 1952, he successfully developed a new method to use formaldehyde to inactivate the polio virus cultured in monkey nerve cells. Although the virus was completely inactive, it could still stimulate an immune response and produce immunity after being injected into the host. After a series of difficult experiments, Salk finally won the trust and support of the public.

Thanks to Salk's unremitting efforts and the assistance of governments of various countries, the vaccine was widely promoted and the polio epidemic was quickly brought under control.

China's "best tasting vaccine"

In China, polio may not be well known to the public, but the "sugar pill vaccine" is almost known to everyone. It is praised as the "sweet guardian of health." This sweet and memorable little sugar pill is an effective vaccine to prevent polio.

It is this seemingly inconspicuous little sugar pill that has played a key role in the prevention and control of polio in my country, significantly reducing the incidence of the disease and laying a solid foundation for the ultimate elimination of polio. In 1958, Professor Gu Fangzuo, known as the "Father of Sugar Pills", successfully isolated the polio virus, providing a scientific basis for my country to formulate immunization strategies.

In 1959, during his inspection in the Soviet Union, Gu Fangzuo faced the technical controversy between "dead vaccine" and "live vaccine", and he decisively decided that my country should choose the live vaccine technology route. In December 1959, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Institute of Biological Products of the Ministry of Health jointly established the Polio Live Vaccine Research Collaboration Group, with Gu Fangzuo as the group leader. Facts have proved that Gu Fangzuo's judgment at the time was correct. In 1960, the first batch of polio live vaccine trials in my country were successfully produced, marking the full launch of my country's polio eradication war. In December of the same year, 5 million doses of vaccine were promoted and used in 11 cities across the country.

However, a new challenge followed: how to develop a vaccine dosage form that is both easy to transport and popular with children? After more than a year of unremitting efforts, Gu Fangzuo's team successfully developed a sugar pill vaccine and passed rigorous scientific verification. Soon, this innovative vaccine was promoted and used nationwide.

Entering the new century, in 2000, at the "China Polio Eradication Confirmation Report Signing Ceremony" held by the Ministry of Health that year, 74-year-old Gu Fangzuo solemnly signed as a representative, marking that my country officially became a polio-free country.

It is worth noting that with the deepening of scientific research, experts have found that the traditional "sugar pill vaccine" (tOPV) contains three serotypes of vaccine strains, of which the type II component may cause vaccine-derived polio virus cases, which poses a certain risk. Therefore, the polio sugar pill vaccine has been discontinued and replaced by a safer and more effective vaccine formulation.

Reference sources: Popular Science China, People's Daily, History of Modern Chinese Medicine