Dr. Jonas Salk’s Polio Vaccine Exhibit Opens at University of Pittsburgh

The polio vaccine was created by Dr. Jonas Salk in a laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh about 70 years ago. Pitt is honoring his legacy by opening a public display of Salk’s personal equipment and reminding visitors and students of the importance of vaccines to public health.

The exhibit is spread over two floors in the commons area of ​​the Pitt School of Public Health building.An iron lung to remind visitors of the polio treatment before the vaccine was made, a centrifuge used by Salk, Salk and polio outbreak vaccination.

Peter Salk, Professor Pitt and Jonas’ eldest son, said the exhibit was about how important it is not only to develop scientific breakthroughs, but to effectively disseminate them to the public in the name of global health. He said it should be a reminder of

“This shows that the devotion to humanity that my father had was unparalleled,” Salk said. It was something.”

Salk and his family provided most of the materials for the exhibit, including items such as his father’s award and the beakers he used in his experiments. Also included is his desk that has moved.

Peter Salk is among the first humans in the world To test the polio vaccine in 1953. A photo in the exhibit shows him at the age of nine, receiving injections from his father.

Salk and former Public Health Director Donald Burke first discussed bringing in an exhibit about Salk’s legacy more than a decade ago.

Burke said it was important to unveil the exhibit now because anti-vaccine sentiment is running high.He said the exhibit aims to remind people how the polio vaccine changed lives. said.

“I was a kid when Jonas Salk and his team here in the Pitt developed the polio vaccine,” Burke said. “I distinctly remember the celebration when we were finally free from the scare of polio.”

Polio cases in the United States fell from 35,000 in 1953 to 5,600 in 1957 after a massive immunization campaign with the Salk vaccine. By 1961, fewer than 200 polio cases were recorded in the United States.

“It wasn’t just about science,” Burke said. “It was about public health cooperation of everyone working together to inform people about the vaccine and distribute it.”

Pitt Public Health Dean Marine Richtveld thanked the Salk family for their contribution to the exhibition, which she said was a cornerstone of the school’s 75th anniversary this year.

“No other school can claim a vaccine that has changed so many people’s lives,” Lichtveld said.

The Salk exhibit is open weekdays from 9am to 6pm in the lobby and commons area of ​​the Pitt School of Public Health at 130 De Soto St. in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.