Oral Vaccine in Idaho

Although Jonas Salk received most of the accolades for developing his injected vaccine, it was an oral vaccine developed by Albert Sabin that had the largest impact in defeating the disease. The oral polio vaccine was finished and released into the public in the year 1961; however, it was not immediately as popular in the United States due to the traditional injection version being completed a few years prior. However, it quickly gained popularity and many people all across the U.S. still took it as either a booster, or as an alternative since it was much more pleasant than the injection. The oral vaccine came in the form of a cherry flavored, syrup-like liquid that gave the vaccine its name, the “sugar cube method,” and it quickly became more popular than Jonas Salk’s injection version. The oral vaccine used a live, but very weakened, version of the virus and it entered the body through the gut, just like the regular virus. This meant that the body would start developing antibodies to it in days rather than weeks which was the case for the Salk version that used a dead version of the virus, required booster shots, and took weeks for the antibodies to develop. Additionally, the oral vaccine was introduced into the Soviet Union, even during the height of the Cold War, and became the primary method for polio vaccination there and elsewhere in the world. This is especially interesting because there was a large amount of suspicion in the United States that the polio virus had been invented in the Soviet Union and introduced into the U.S. as a sort of civilian warfare. The oral vaccine gained so much popularity so quickly due to the facts that it was easy and much more comfortable to administer than a shot, and because issues with the injection version had come up in the years it had been available to the public. In 1964, the American Medical Association supported the oral vaccine over its injection counterpart, but this changed back again after a few more serious cases were developed after vaccination, since the vaccine used a weakened, live version of the virus instead of a dead one. Still, the vaccine was used all the way into the 21^st century, and still considered very safe.

In Idaho, the story of the oral vaccine is like many states across the country. Churches and schools became a hot spot for mass vaccinations to take place since the main target was to immunize children, as they were the most susceptible to getting the virus at schools, as well as being the most susceptible to the virus’ symptoms. Additionally, those facilities were able host large amounts of people, and many adults participated in vaccination as well. All over the state, public officials of all sorts were encouraging people to partake in the oral method of vaccination. Doctors were being asked advice on the vaccines. A whole motto called “Knock Out Polio” started on November 3, 1962, in 20 towns across Idaho and Eastern Oregon. Marches were held, and promotion of the vaccines was at an all time high. Even with the injection version being available for many years at this point, a new wave of enthusiasm swept Idaho and the nation alike with the release of the oral vaccine, due to its easy, pleasant, and painless qualities. The towns involved in these marches include ones like Cascade, McCall, Mountain Home, Glenns Ferry, Emmett, and New Meadows. All of Idaho was interested in ending this disease, and the oral vaccine was their way of finishing that fight. Places like Pocatello had party-like oral vaccination hot spots set up to encourage others to get vaccinated who might not have wanted the injection version. Whatever it was, Idaho was focused on ending polio.

Matthew Stark, June 2021