April 29, 2026 • 34 mins
Priyanka and Hari break down the history of poliovirus, how it spreads, and what it actually does to the body, from mild illness to permanent paralysis. They explore how the iron lung, early outbreaks, and decades of medical innovation shaped our understanding of the disease, and how the development of the polio vaccine became one of the greatest public health achievements in history. They address common concerns, misinformation, and the real risks versus risks of vaccination.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This podcast is for information purposes only and should not
be considered professional medical advice. The most effective prevention against
poliovirus is immunization.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
My main man, Jonash Sulk, developed the first effective polio
vaccine and it worked, and he refused to patent it,
saying it belonged to the people.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
And the goal here really is to just help you
navigate your own health and the healthcare system as we
are in a crumbling empire.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I'm Hurricandbolu, I'm doctor pre Uncle Wally, and this is
health stuff. I wanted to start today by telling you
a little story that I don't think you know about me.
My high school mascot is named after me. Did you
know that? No? Oh it is. It is called Hurry
the Hawk Townsend Harris High School's mascot, Harry the Hawks.
(01:07):
It's the mascot. I believe he has a basketball jersey
with Hri in the back. And that happened because my
senior year I was doing comedy and there was a
sophomore who had a whole bunch of school spirit, and
he raised a bunch of money and got this mascot
and he could name it whatever he wanted to name it.
(01:27):
And instead of naming it after somebody maybe more famous
or known, he named it after a senior that he
respected for doing comedy. And that's how I got a
legacy at seventeen. Hurry the Hawk. But do you know
who didn't get a mascot? Uh me, he didn't get
a mascot. But another alum of townshend Harris High School
(01:48):
didn't get a mascot. And that alum is Jonas Sulk,
the man that cured polio, did not get Adam Sok.
The Hawk would have rhymed.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah, that would have worked really well. But wait a minute,
I need to just take a minute to honor you
to you created a legacy at the ripe age of seventeen.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
At seventeen, you did anything, No, hadn't accomplished a thing.
I think that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, you hit up a few open mics and
boom a mascot.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, a maskot named after me. No, it's one of
the cooler things. But it is funny to me that
somebody as accomplished as Jonah Salk, who's done all he's
done for the world, is kind of like a footnote.
That's amazing. Yeah, in this story, and I feel like
this the story is appropriate for today because what are
we talking about.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
We're talking about vaccines part two, polio specifically, which I
think Jonah Salk has something to do with.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
That, Yes, very much.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So now I want to just preface this by saying,
you know, vaccines are really hot topic. They're in the
news all the time. Yeah, there's all a lot of
opinions about them, and so we're doing this episode with
the reminder everyone please keep an open mind. Like all
we are trying to do here. Our goal is to
(03:11):
just share scientifically backed information along with real world experiences,
and the goal here really is to just help you
navigate your own health and the healthcare system as we
are in a crumbling empire.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
It took me a second. I'm like, where is she
going with the Oh, there you go.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So we'll talk about polio today, And I think I
know the answer to this. But you don't know anyone
who's ever had polio, right.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
No, but you know, polio was still a bigger issue
in India later than it was in the US, right
because of you know this, how long it takes to
get vaccines all over the world. And I remember my
and d both have scars from the from the the
injection they use back They're like these these circular scars
(04:09):
with like little a little hole in the middle, so
incredibly painful vaccine and that's what they use back then.
And so I see those scars and it's a reminder like,
oh my god, like that's how what we had to
do to make sure polio was eradicated.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah. Yeah, And you know, fortunately, as a physician, I've
never seen or treated a case of polio, which I'm
happy about. But one person that I know, who was
also from India didn't get the vaccine and then developed
post polio complications, which we'll talk about in a minute.
(04:45):
So that's like my only kind of reference. But I
think like it's important to know that a lot of
people have never seen polio. They don't know how terrible
of a illment it is. And I think sometimes that
makes us think, like, well, why get vaccinated because it's
(05:07):
not an issue, But like that's exactly don't fall for that,
because that's exactly the issue. We definitely want to eradicate
it if we can. It's actually a candidate for eradication,
but we haven't quite reached that point yet.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
There's only one human disease that's ever been eradicated, and
that is smallpox. Yeah, and that's it. Yeah, you know polio.
I thought polio had been eradicated, but apparently there's still
cases that happen every year totally. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
In fact, there was a case in the United States
in twenty twenty two that was the first case of
polio in the United States after three decades.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah. And that story is interesting because the person was
from Hungary and they weren't vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
There is no cure for polio. It's still so it
can be prevented with a vaccination, but there's no cure
for it. Since the introduction of the polio vaccine in
nineteen fifty five, the US has nearly been it's nearly
been eliminated. We're not. And that's the thing. Like this
is from we're talking, it's seventy years ago, and it's
(06:14):
still something that there's still traces left.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah, I mean speaking of traces, Actually, polio is really old.
It actually has been traced to more than three thousand
years ago in ancient Egypt.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah. So they actually have like evidence of mummies with
mangled limbs that they attribute to polio. I mean, you
think life in ancient Egypt was hard enough and then
you can't even get mummified without it like impacting you know,
(06:50):
it's like it's going to impact you in the real
life and the afterlife, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, yeah, yeah,
polio is not to be messed with.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
We should probably just repeat just for people who maybe
didn't listen to episode one. Vaccines work by stimulating your
body's immune system, creating protection against specific infectious diseases. And
the way they work is that vaccination involves introducing killed, weakened,
or molecular components of bacteria or viruses, typically by injection
(07:22):
orally or nasal spray, to teach the immune system to
recognize and fight pathogens.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah. Yeah, And when it comes to polio, there's actually
two types of vaccines. So there's an oral vaccine that
you take by mouth and that actually contains a live
version of the virus, but it's very weak and it's
actually used in many parts of the world and it's
really effective. But the catch is that rarely, very rarely,
(07:50):
because the virus is alive, it can mutate sometimes, and
if there's a community that hasn't been totally vaccinated, so
it's like an under vaccinated community. If that virus mutates,
it can actually cause outbreaks. So we don't use oral
live vaccine here in the United States. We use the
(08:10):
second type of vaccine, which is injected, and it's the virus,
but it's killed, so it's not live. So the killed
virus that's injected can't cause polio or paralysis and it
can't mutate. So that's the one I got, that's the
one you probably got. That's definitely the one people should
(08:32):
be getting. Man, you know, it's crazy, like our country
and everything that's going on, because like if you look
at polio in the context of the history of the
United States, like there was definitely a lot of misinformation
that happened. So just to be clear, around the nineteen
hundred in the United States, polio was killing a lot
(08:56):
of people. But in fact, it used to be known
as the wrath of God. Oh in the United States,
that's how bad it was. And it was seasonal, so
polio would peak in the summer and basically every summer
you could look forward to getting polio. This is all
(09:16):
pre vaccine and what people ended up concluding because in
the summertime that was also when people would eat a
lot of ice cream, and so people actually started to
believe that eating ice cream caused polio, and in some
parts of the country they even banned ice cream. And
as a scientist, this is like a classic case of
(09:38):
correlation does not equal causation. Obviously it wasn't ice cream
that was the problem. But why does polio happen more
in the summer because the virus spreads more easily in
warmer months, just like the way we see flu spread
more easily in winter months.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I mean, there's something about that that's kind of like,
you know, it's we were just as dumb back then. Yeah,
and that's that there's something about that to assume that
it was ice cream that was causing it.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, totally. And you know, this is great news for
climate change because you know, this is definitely something to
look forward to. The Planet's gonna get hotter and less
people fewer people are gonna get vaccinated, so we're in
for a ride.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah, ice cream's in trouble again. It's a matter of time.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
That's why listeners, you can be the difference, Like you
can make the difference and actually get vaccinated so that
this does not have to be one of the issues
that we're dealing with with impending climate change. We'll be
back with more health stuff after this break.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Now, who's at risk. It's anyone of any age who
has not been vaccinated. They can get polio, and polio
most affects children, especially the infants and kids under five,
who are unvaccinated or undervaccinated. What does it mean to
be under vaccinated?
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Meaning you know, if there's a set of vaccines that
you're supposed to get based off of how old you are,
maybe you got half of them, or it's an incomplete series.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Right, Okay, so they're still vulnerable because they haven't finished
the set yet.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Yeah, they're under vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Yeah, Adults who have never completed their vaccine series are
also at risk. As of March twenty twenty six, the
CDC and the World Health Organization have issued travel advisories
from more than thirty five countries where poliovirus is circulating.
I mean, that's wild to me that it still exists
in thirty five countries.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, for sure. So basically, if you're living in a
place where there's poor sanitation, poor hygiene, you're at higher
risk of getting it. Why because polio spreads through contact
with infected poop basically or just poop, I should say,
because poop is.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Poop is poop is the scientific term.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Correct, It's like a positive poop exposure. Here's the thing, right,
wash your hands right, because if you wash your hands,
you can eliminate so much of the risk. Like I am,
It's like guys, washing hands is so effective for so
many different ailments, including polio. It can also spread through
(12:24):
droplets from coughing or sneezing, and depending on if you
were to inhale it, it could cross a blood brain
barrier and it can make its way up to your
brain to your spinal cord. And what's tricky is that
a lot of people don't have any symptoms, but they
can spread the virus for weeks without knowing. It's it's
(12:45):
that contagious.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Poliovirus really does a number on the body. Like it
can range from a mild to a life altering impact.
You know, most infections cause no symptom, are only mild
flu like illness, but some people develop more severe symptoms
like intense muscle pain and stiffness, but recover without paralysis.
(13:09):
Than a small percentage developed paralytic polio. The most serious form.
This can cause sudden muscle weakness, loss of movement, and prosis,
often in the legs, and in severe cases paralysis effects
breathing or swallowing muscles and can be fatal. I think
the very famous example in the US is FDR. Like
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was paralyzed as a result of polio.
(13:34):
It was hidden at the time, but there is an
example of a very public figure that had to deal
with that his whole life.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Yeah, and actually, fun fact about FDR, because he had
polio himself, he actually opened the first modern rehab center
for polio patients and that ended up leading to the
development of the March of Dimes, which is now helping
fund tons and tons of vaccine research. So FTR is
(14:02):
a great example of like do you know about the
wounded healer archetype. It's like this archetype where it's like
a person gets sick and in an effort to heal themselves,
they end up helping lots of other people. So you know,
he created this rehab center because he himself had polio
(14:22):
and then like it ended up leading to March of
Dimes in vaccine research. So I think that's kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
That is great.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Yeah, it's interesting like hearing you talk about what happens
to the body when you get polio, because again, you know,
the cases here in the United States are so rare,
Like I've never treated someone with polio. It would be
hard for me to like diagnose it because I couldn't
(14:50):
recognize it. I've just sort of read it. And you know,
as a doctor, I think about what it would have
been like to practice medicine like before the vaccines, because
doctors had no way to stop polio. Basically, all they
could do was try and manage the damage it caused.
And you know what that means, that equation, that's trial
and error. That's basically like not knowing what the hell
(15:12):
you're doing, you know. And way back in the day,
they would you know, basically do certain things like try
applying heat to relax the muscles which were really tight
and get people to move instead of keeping them immobilized.
But things really changed when the iron lung was created,
(15:37):
which is it's this massive machine that helps people breathe
because when polio paralyzes their chest muscles, they die. So
this machine would actually move their chest muscles for them.
But I mean, an iron lung is like it's this
huge machine. It takes up the entire room. It's like loud,
and it's expensive, but it definitely saved lives. The first
(15:59):
iron lung was used in nineteen twenty eight, and it
was an eight year old child who was about to
die because she couldn't move her chest muscles, and they
used iron lung on her and she survived. And basically
after that then they started using the iron lung for
future outbreaks. And then of course they developed different braces
(16:20):
and surgeries to help improve mobility and reduce pain. But again,
none of this cured polio, and it wasn't until the
vaccine that prevention was actually made possible. Do you know
about this guy Paul Alexander. No, he lived in an
iron lung for like decades. He was paralyzed from the
(16:43):
neck down and he lived seventy years in an iron lung.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah, he actually became the longest person to use in
iron lung. He also went to law school and like
wrote a book and I think blew up on TikTok
as well.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
I mean did not expect that the part did not
see that when coming to be honest.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
You know, it's like damn, you know, I feel like
it's like I got to do more with my life,
you know what I mean, It's like I have no excuse.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
It's also just shocking to hear, like you've been through
all this and you've become this advocate and your thought
is TikTok, that's where that's where it's at now.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah, I know, right. You know, by the mid nineteen hundreds,
polio was paralyzing thousands of people every year across the world,
and then there was a breakthrough in nineteen forty nine
where they finally were able to cultivate poliovirus in human tissue,
and that was a huge deal because that's what led
(17:46):
to the Nobel Prize, but also the development of the vaccine.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
In the early nineteen fifties, My main man, Jonah Sulk,
developed the first effective polio vaccine and it worked. And
this is important, and he refused to patent it, saying
it belonged to the people. Just just take that in. Yeah,
the idea that this man makes this incredible scientific innovation
(18:13):
and saves all these lives and at no point does
he think about like the capitalist pursuit. It's just straight
up like this can help people, and that's why I
made it, and that's the end of the story. That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
This is so key here. That decision is part of
the reason why we don't see that much polio now
because he made that choice. He was asked in an
interview which I love. I love this quote. They asked
him in this interview, well, who owns the patent for
the vaccine? And his response was, well, the people, because
(18:48):
there's no patent, could you patent the sun?
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Could you patent well the sun?
Speaker 1 (18:54):
It gives me chills, like.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
That is not like that attitude. I mean, I don't
need even know if it's possible now because you're you're
drug companies are not going to drug companies would patent
the sun if they could?
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Oh, I'm pretty sure there's probably some tech company in
the bank right now that's trying to patent the son
Like I'm certain they exist. Here's what was really cool
about Sock as well. He first tested the He tested
the vaccine right like, he tested it on himself and
(19:28):
his family.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
And I mean himself is one thing, by his family?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Really yeah, right, I mean, think about how confident you
have to be that this is gonna work that You're
just like, hey, son, come here.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Are we sure it's not as extended family.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
You know, like the uncle he hates or something.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
The cousins, his mother in law, father in law. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I love that he did that. I mean, it's one
thing to create a vaccine and be like, I don't know,
let's give it to poor people or marginalize people and
test it on those communities, right, But it's another thing
to be like, no, it's my own people. I think
he was a really interesting person.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
So he was married to Francoise g Loo, who is
also an exceptional painter. But she was Picasso's wife and
had children with him for a hot minute. Then she
divorced Picasso and she met Jonah Sulk, and at least
according to the show Genius, which you can watch on
(20:33):
Disney Plus, one of the things she said to Sulk
when she married him or agreed to marry him, she
was just like, I don't want you getting in the
way of me and my painting. Like I'll be married
to you, but like you can't stop me from painting.
And he was like, yes, yes, that is not an issue.
I'm too busy trying to cure polio. Right, right to
worry about your painting? Right? But what a power couple, right.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Man, that's wild man. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
So, so thanks to doctor Salk after the vaccine polio cases,
it just dropped dramatically within just a few years. And
then shortly after that, Albert Saban developed an oral vaccine,
the oral live vaccine, which was easier to give and
it was cheap and also played a role in eradication efforts.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
More to come on health stuff, you know, with all.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Of the misinformation or the mistrust of the system, the government,
pharmaceutical companies, I get it right. I think it's important
that we talk about the Cutter incident because I think
sometimes vaccine skeptics use the Cutter incident as an example
of why you can't trust institutions. And look, I agree,
(21:58):
like not all institutions are pristine or free of corruption.
But I think it's important we talk about this incident
because from my perspective, I actually don't think this incident
was all bad. I think it actually led later to
better things, like more safety reforms. So but yeah, let's
(22:19):
let the public know what was the Cutter incident.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
So Cutter Laboratories released batches of vaccine that were supposed
to contain a killed virus. We discussed how that works earlier,
but some batches still had live poliovirus in them, so
children who were being vaccinated to prevent POLYI were accidentally
infected instead. Within weeks, poliocases appeared in vaccinated children. The
mistake caused about forty thousand infections, more than two hundred
(22:46):
and fifty cases of prowsis, and ten deaths. The response
was immediate. The vaccine was recalled and health officials traced
the problem to specific batches. This tragedy led to much
stricter safety rules and manufacturings standards for vaccines. Production resumed
later that year under tighter oversight. So Cutter Laboratories had
(23:07):
followed the rules that existed at the time, but the
problem was the rules were not strict enough. So the
changes that followed made vaccines far safer going forward. So
when people cite the Cutter Laboratories story as an example
of how you can't trust the government or can't trust vaccines,
it's not completely true because it led to tighter standards
(23:27):
like this can't happen again, because all these different things
were put in place after the incident in nineteen fifty five.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, you know it's tough, right because, like, imagine you're
the parent of one of those ten deaths, right like,
you would be burned forever. And it's it's tough, right
because there the silver lighting was that, like now vaccines
are much safer because of this. So I mean, like
(23:55):
it's really hard to wrap your mind around this stuff
because any great discovery in medicine did come at the
cost of lives, right like, And it's a process. I
like to believe though, that we can believe that the
vaccine process is safe and we can have confidence in it.
(24:18):
I can say with confidence that the polio vaccine today
I believe to be safe. You know, it's been many,
many decades since the Cutter incident, and again, polio is
one of those diseases that sort of tried and true
to be very lethal, very noxious. So the vaccine definitely
works for that. But you know, I want to just honor,
(24:40):
like the people that got paralyzed or died from the
Cutter incident, Like I want to validate that you know,
that wasn't okay, and it was a very costly mistake.
But we learn from our mistakes. So One of the
things that I just want to like say again is
because polio has been so rare here in the United
(25:02):
States for so many decades, I think it's really easy
to forget how dangerous it was and could become again.
The reason polio is kept in checked is because of
the high vaccination rates. But to be clear, it hasn't
fully disappeared. It can, it's possible to eradicate it fully,
(25:24):
but it hasn't yet. So if there's anyone out there
that hasn't gotten the polio vaccine and wants to know, well,
what would it be like to get the vaccine? Generally,
the side effect from the vaccine are pretty mild, like
you might feel sore at the injection site. When it
comes to more serious reactions like an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis,
(25:48):
it's really really extremely rare, like I'm talking one in
a million. So the point being, I think that there's
a far greater risk of the disease itself then the
risk from the vaccine. And the other good thing is
that when you get vaccinated, you're also actually protecting other people.
(26:11):
I'm talking babies, people with weakened immune systems. That leads
to community protection. So not only are you practicing self care,
but you're being a hero for other people too, which
is a nice thing.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Now, some people are concerned about vaccine ingredients, and with
the polio vaccine, finding a formaldehyde is an ingredient can
sound alarming. Formaldehyde is what they used to, right, to
preserve animals, right.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Yeah, and cadavers. I remember in medical school when we
had cadaver lab and we would be studying gross anatomy.
The whole lab smelled of formaldehyde, and yeah, I'll never
forget that smell. In fact, I would go sometimes because
the smell of formaldehyde was so strong. I would take
(26:57):
a little bit of vasaline and just put it right
under my nostril to try and neutralize the scent, and
that would really help.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
It makes sense where people would be weirded out by
the fact that I'm.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Like, yeah, let's be honest.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, but let's talk about why it's there. It's used
during the manufacturing of some vaccines to kill viruses like
polio and hepatitis A, or bacterial toxins like diphtheria, and
it's a very very small amount. This quantity of formaldehyde
is considered to be safe for two reasons. It's essential
(27:32):
in human metabolism and is required for the synthesis of
DNA and amino acids. All humans have detectable quantities of
natural formaldehyde in their circulation. The amount of formaldehyde used
in some vaccines is so small compared to the concentration
that occurs naturally in the body that there is no
evidence it poses any safety concern. When the body breaks
(27:54):
down formaldehyde, it does not distinguish between formaldehyde from vaccines
and formaldehide, which is naturally produced or environmental.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Yeah. So the point being we have formaldehyde in our body,
there's such a little amount from the vaccines that your
body really quickly breaks it down because it's familiar with
the chemical and it can't tell the difference between whether
it's formaldehyde from itself or the vaccine. The point is
(28:24):
that this is not really an issue. And as someone
that was in gross anatomy lab, I have to be honest,
I probably inhaled a lot more formaldehyde as a medical
student studying gross anatomy than I would ever get in
getting vaccinated with the polio vaccine.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Here's a really, I think powerful quote from SoC Institute
President Gerald Joyce. I think he really nails it when
he says the most successful public health interventions are often
overlooked or underappreciated. Take them for granted because you don't
see what's not there. The near total absence of polio
(29:05):
in the US over the past several decades makes it
difficult for most of us to understand how terrible it was,
and too easy to devalue the heroic efforts that went
into eradicating it. And that's kind of what you had
said earlier, right, the idea that like, we don't see it,
so we assume it's not an issue, and it was
a huge issue and that's the reason you don't see
it now because of all the work that was put in.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
So I mean, I want to ask the listeners, are
we hammering this point enough? Like have we convinced you yet?
You know, the only reason that polio still exists and
it hasn't been fully eradicated is because there's not full
complete vaccine coverage. Like think about that. We have the
(29:51):
ability as a species to fully eradicate polio, but we
haven't done it because not everyone is vaccinated. And why
people aren't vaccinated, it's not just because of misinformation or
vaccine hesitancy, I mean, wars, conflict zones, communities that are
(30:11):
under vaccinated. They're just doing a little bit And to me,
I'm like, oh my god, we're so close. We're so close.
We can do this, but but we're we're we just
need to push a little bit harder.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
There's a privilege in this kind of skepticism. Like when
you when around the world, you see people not able
who would love to have access to these things to
save their communities, people in conflict zones where the vaccination
isn't widely available, Like they're literally dying to get these Yeah.
So there's something about the privilege of like now that
(30:47):
you don't have to face it all you're skeptical of it.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, exactly, just because you don't see it doesn't mean
it's not there. And literally, this virus can be prevented
by vaccines. And here's another thing. If people stop getting vaccinated,
Hollo Polo's coming back and it's not going to be nice.
(31:13):
So the most effective prevention against poliovirus is immunization, and
the primary risk factor of getting polio is not being vaccinated.
This is low bearing fruit people. I think this is
an easy one.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, we can do it. Yeah, Outside of vaccination, general
hygiene and cleanliness, like we've talked about already helps prevent
the spread of the illness, washing hands, covering sneezes and coughs,
and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah. And again, people think of polio as a disease
of the past, but that's because the vaccines really worked.
I just want to remind people that the virus is
still out there. Like, there are literally pockets the United
States right now where poliovirus is existing. And as long
as polio exists anywhere, it's a threat everywhere.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
It's okay to want more information about vaccinations, both the
efficacy and safety of them, but make sure you are
getting that information from reputable sources like this show. Like
this show, and I realized that's a tricky thing to
say when you know the United States Secretary of Health
and Human Services might not be a reputable source.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Yeah. Yeah, So at this point, feel free to turn
to the show for advice in the meantime.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Yeah, in the meantime. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
So, yeah, I hope we've hammered that enough. Polio vaccine
is the best way to protect yourself from polio.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
I mean it's it's really the only way to really
truly protect yourself from polio. Like, yeah, washing hands and
the rest of it. We do the best we can
when we do that, but the ability to actually nip
it in the butt all together, I mean, that is
the way to do it.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Yeah, and just as a human species, like, it's such
an amazing accomplishment. We actually figured out a way to
combat this virus. And by not getting vaccinated, you're basically
like taking a huge dump on like a pinnacle of
human achievement.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
And be careful with that dump because it might contain polio.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah. Well, thanks everyone for listening. If you're enjoying the show,
please like subscribe and give us five stars on whatever
platform you listen to. This engagement really helps us with
a wider audience and we so appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Thank you so much. Everybody, See you next week.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Health Stuff is a production of iHeart Podcasts. The show
is hosted by Me, doctor preancle Wally, and Harrie Konnebolu.
Producers are Rebecca Eisenberg, Jenna Cagel, Christina Loranger, Maya Howard,
and Katrina Norvel. Our researcher is Maria Tremarchi. And our
intern is Katia Zobel Leayala. To send us a question,
(34:06):
you can email us a voice memo at health Stuff
Podcast at gmail dot com. Thanks so much for listening.
This podcast is for information purposes only and should not
be considered professional medical advice. The most effective prevention against
poliovirus is immunization.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
My main man, Jonash Sulk, developed the first effective polio
vaccine and it worked, and he refused to patent it,
saying it belonged to the people.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
And the goal here really is to just help you
navigate your own health and the healthcare system as we
are in a crumbling empire.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I'm Hurricandbolu, I'm doctor pre Uncle Wally, and this is
health stuff. I wanted to start today by telling you
a little story that I don't think you know about me.
My high school mascot is named after me. Did you
know that? No? Oh it is. It is called Hurry
the Hawk Townsend Harris High School's mascot, Harry the Hawks.
(01:07):
It's the mascot. I believe he has a basketball jersey
with Hri in the back. And that happened because my
senior year I was doing comedy and there was a
sophomore who had a whole bunch of school spirit, and
he raised a bunch of money and got this mascot
and he could name it whatever he wanted to name it.
(01:27):
And instead of naming it after somebody maybe more famous
or known, he named it after a senior that he
respected for doing comedy. And that's how I got a
legacy at seventeen. Hurry the Hawk. But do you know
who didn't get a mascot? Uh me, he didn't get
a mascot. But another alum of townshend Harris High School
(01:48):
didn't get a mascot. And that alum is Jonas Sulk,
the man that cured polio, did not get Adam Sok.
The Hawk would have rhymed.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah, that would have worked really well. But wait a minute,
I need to just take a minute to honor you
to you created a legacy at the ripe age of seventeen.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
At seventeen, you did anything, No, hadn't accomplished a thing.
I think that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, you hit up a few open mics and
boom a mascot.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, a maskot named after me. No, it's one of
the cooler things. But it is funny to me that
somebody as accomplished as Jonah Salk, who's done all he's
done for the world, is kind of like a footnote.
That's amazing. Yeah, in this story, and I feel like
this the story is appropriate for today because what are
we talking about.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
We're talking about vaccines part two, polio specifically, which I
think Jonah Salk has something to do with.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
That, Yes, very much.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So now I want to just preface this by saying,
you know, vaccines are really hot topic. They're in the
news all the time. Yeah, there's all a lot of
opinions about them, and so we're doing this episode with
the reminder everyone please keep an open mind. Like all
we are trying to do here. Our goal is to
(03:11):
just share scientifically backed information along with real world experiences,
and the goal here really is to just help you
navigate your own health and the healthcare system as we
are in a crumbling empire.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
It took me a second. I'm like, where is she
going with the Oh, there you go.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So we'll talk about polio today, And I think I
know the answer to this. But you don't know anyone
who's ever had polio, right.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
No, but you know, polio was still a bigger issue
in India later than it was in the US, right
because of you know this, how long it takes to
get vaccines all over the world. And I remember my
and d both have scars from the from the the
injection they use back They're like these these circular scars
(04:09):
with like little a little hole in the middle, so
incredibly painful vaccine and that's what they use back then.
And so I see those scars and it's a reminder like,
oh my god, like that's how what we had to
do to make sure polio was eradicated.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah. Yeah, And you know, fortunately, as a physician, I've
never seen or treated a case of polio, which I'm
happy about. But one person that I know, who was
also from India didn't get the vaccine and then developed
post polio complications, which we'll talk about in a minute.
(04:45):
So that's like my only kind of reference. But I
think like it's important to know that a lot of
people have never seen polio. They don't know how terrible
of a illment it is. And I think sometimes that
makes us think, like, well, why get vaccinated because it's
(05:07):
not an issue, But like that's exactly don't fall for that,
because that's exactly the issue. We definitely want to eradicate
it if we can. It's actually a candidate for eradication,
but we haven't quite reached that point yet.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
There's only one human disease that's ever been eradicated, and
that is smallpox. Yeah, and that's it. Yeah, you know polio.
I thought polio had been eradicated, but apparently there's still
cases that happen every year totally. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
In fact, there was a case in the United States
in twenty twenty two that was the first case of
polio in the United States after three decades.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah. And that story is interesting because the person was
from Hungary and they weren't vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
There is no cure for polio. It's still so it
can be prevented with a vaccination, but there's no cure
for it. Since the introduction of the polio vaccine in
nineteen fifty five, the US has nearly been it's nearly
been eliminated. We're not. And that's the thing. Like this
is from we're talking, it's seventy years ago, and it's
(06:14):
still something that there's still traces left.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah, I mean speaking of traces, Actually, polio is really old.
It actually has been traced to more than three thousand
years ago in ancient Egypt.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah. So they actually have like evidence of mummies with
mangled limbs that they attribute to polio. I mean, you
think life in ancient Egypt was hard enough and then
you can't even get mummified without it like impacting you know,
(06:50):
it's like it's going to impact you in the real
life and the afterlife, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, yeah, yeah,
polio is not to be messed with.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
We should probably just repeat just for people who maybe
didn't listen to episode one. Vaccines work by stimulating your
body's immune system, creating protection against specific infectious diseases. And
the way they work is that vaccination involves introducing killed, weakened,
or molecular components of bacteria or viruses, typically by injection
(07:22):
orally or nasal spray, to teach the immune system to
recognize and fight pathogens.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah. Yeah, And when it comes to polio, there's actually
two types of vaccines. So there's an oral vaccine that
you take by mouth and that actually contains a live
version of the virus, but it's very weak and it's
actually used in many parts of the world and it's
really effective. But the catch is that rarely, very rarely,
(07:50):
because the virus is alive, it can mutate sometimes, and
if there's a community that hasn't been totally vaccinated, so
it's like an under vaccinated community. If that virus mutates,
it can actually cause outbreaks. So we don't use oral
live vaccine here in the United States. We use the
(08:10):
second type of vaccine, which is injected, and it's the virus,
but it's killed, so it's not live. So the killed
virus that's injected can't cause polio or paralysis and it
can't mutate. So that's the one I got, that's the
one you probably got. That's definitely the one people should
(08:32):
be getting. Man, you know, it's crazy, like our country
and everything that's going on, because like if you look
at polio in the context of the history of the
United States, like there was definitely a lot of misinformation
that happened. So just to be clear, around the nineteen
hundred in the United States, polio was killing a lot
(08:56):
of people. But in fact, it used to be known
as the wrath of God. Oh in the United States,
that's how bad it was. And it was seasonal, so
polio would peak in the summer and basically every summer
you could look forward to getting polio. This is all
(09:16):
pre vaccine and what people ended up concluding because in
the summertime that was also when people would eat a
lot of ice cream, and so people actually started to
believe that eating ice cream caused polio, and in some
parts of the country they even banned ice cream. And
as a scientist, this is like a classic case of
(09:38):
correlation does not equal causation. Obviously it wasn't ice cream
that was the problem. But why does polio happen more
in the summer because the virus spreads more easily in
warmer months, just like the way we see flu spread
more easily in winter months.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I mean, there's something about that that's kind of like,
you know, it's we were just as dumb back then. Yeah,
and that's that there's something about that to assume that
it was ice cream that was causing it.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, totally. And you know, this is great news for
climate change because you know, this is definitely something to
look forward to. The Planet's gonna get hotter and less
people fewer people are gonna get vaccinated, so we're in
for a ride.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah, ice cream's in trouble again. It's a matter of time.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
That's why listeners, you can be the difference, Like you
can make the difference and actually get vaccinated so that
this does not have to be one of the issues
that we're dealing with with impending climate change. We'll be
back with more health stuff after this break.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Now, who's at risk. It's anyone of any age who
has not been vaccinated. They can get polio, and polio
most affects children, especially the infants and kids under five,
who are unvaccinated or undervaccinated. What does it mean to
be under vaccinated?
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Meaning you know, if there's a set of vaccines that
you're supposed to get based off of how old you are,
maybe you got half of them, or it's an incomplete series.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Right, Okay, so they're still vulnerable because they haven't finished
the set yet.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Yeah, they're under vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Yeah, Adults who have never completed their vaccine series are
also at risk. As of March twenty twenty six, the
CDC and the World Health Organization have issued travel advisories
from more than thirty five countries where poliovirus is circulating.
I mean, that's wild to me that it still exists
in thirty five countries.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, for sure. So basically, if you're living in a
place where there's poor sanitation, poor hygiene, you're at higher
risk of getting it. Why because polio spreads through contact
with infected poop basically or just poop, I should say,
because poop is.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Poop is poop is the scientific term.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Correct, It's like a positive poop exposure. Here's the thing, right,
wash your hands right, because if you wash your hands,
you can eliminate so much of the risk. Like I am,
It's like guys, washing hands is so effective for so
many different ailments, including polio. It can also spread through
(12:24):
droplets from coughing or sneezing, and depending on if you
were to inhale it, it could cross a blood brain
barrier and it can make its way up to your
brain to your spinal cord. And what's tricky is that
a lot of people don't have any symptoms, but they
can spread the virus for weeks without knowing. It's it's
(12:45):
that contagious.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Poliovirus really does a number on the body. Like it
can range from a mild to a life altering impact.
You know, most infections cause no symptom, are only mild
flu like illness, but some people develop more severe symptoms
like intense muscle pain and stiffness, but recover without paralysis.
(13:09):
Than a small percentage developed paralytic polio. The most serious form.
This can cause sudden muscle weakness, loss of movement, and prosis,
often in the legs, and in severe cases paralysis effects
breathing or swallowing muscles and can be fatal. I think
the very famous example in the US is FDR. Like
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was paralyzed as a result of polio.
(13:34):
It was hidden at the time, but there is an
example of a very public figure that had to deal
with that his whole life.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Yeah, and actually, fun fact about FDR, because he had
polio himself, he actually opened the first modern rehab center
for polio patients and that ended up leading to the
development of the March of Dimes, which is now helping
fund tons and tons of vaccine research. So FTR is
(14:02):
a great example of like do you know about the
wounded healer archetype. It's like this archetype where it's like
a person gets sick and in an effort to heal themselves,
they end up helping lots of other people. So you know,
he created this rehab center because he himself had polio
(14:22):
and then like it ended up leading to March of
Dimes in vaccine research. So I think that's kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
That is great.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Yeah, it's interesting like hearing you talk about what happens
to the body when you get polio, because again, you know,
the cases here in the United States are so rare,
Like I've never treated someone with polio. It would be
hard for me to like diagnose it because I couldn't
(14:50):
recognize it. I've just sort of read it. And you know,
as a doctor, I think about what it would have
been like to practice medicine like before the vaccines, because
doctors had no way to stop polio. Basically, all they
could do was try and manage the damage it caused.
And you know what that means, that equation, that's trial
and error. That's basically like not knowing what the hell
(15:12):
you're doing, you know. And way back in the day,
they would you know, basically do certain things like try
applying heat to relax the muscles which were really tight
and get people to move instead of keeping them immobilized.
But things really changed when the iron lung was created,
(15:37):
which is it's this massive machine that helps people breathe
because when polio paralyzes their chest muscles, they die. So
this machine would actually move their chest muscles for them.
But I mean, an iron lung is like it's this
huge machine. It takes up the entire room. It's like loud,
and it's expensive, but it definitely saved lives. The first
(15:59):
iron lung was used in nineteen twenty eight, and it
was an eight year old child who was about to
die because she couldn't move her chest muscles, and they
used iron lung on her and she survived. And basically
after that then they started using the iron lung for
future outbreaks. And then of course they developed different braces
(16:20):
and surgeries to help improve mobility and reduce pain. But again,
none of this cured polio, and it wasn't until the
vaccine that prevention was actually made possible. Do you know
about this guy Paul Alexander. No, he lived in an
iron lung for like decades. He was paralyzed from the
(16:43):
neck down and he lived seventy years in an iron lung.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah, he actually became the longest person to use in
iron lung. He also went to law school and like
wrote a book and I think blew up on TikTok
as well.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
I mean did not expect that the part did not
see that when coming to be honest.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
You know, it's like damn, you know, I feel like
it's like I got to do more with my life,
you know what I mean, It's like I have no excuse.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
It's also just shocking to hear, like you've been through
all this and you've become this advocate and your thought
is TikTok, that's where that's where it's at now.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah, I know, right. You know, by the mid nineteen hundreds,
polio was paralyzing thousands of people every year across the world,
and then there was a breakthrough in nineteen forty nine
where they finally were able to cultivate poliovirus in human tissue,
and that was a huge deal because that's what led
(17:46):
to the Nobel Prize, but also the development of the vaccine.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
In the early nineteen fifties, My main man, Jonah Sulk,
developed the first effective polio vaccine and it worked. And
this is important, and he refused to patent it, saying
it belonged to the people. Just just take that in. Yeah,
the idea that this man makes this incredible scientific innovation
(18:13):
and saves all these lives and at no point does
he think about like the capitalist pursuit. It's just straight
up like this can help people, and that's why I
made it, and that's the end of the story. That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
This is so key here. That decision is part of
the reason why we don't see that much polio now
because he made that choice. He was asked in an
interview which I love. I love this quote. They asked
him in this interview, well, who owns the patent for
the vaccine? And his response was, well, the people, because
(18:48):
there's no patent, could you patent the sun?
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Could you patent well the sun?
Speaker 1 (18:54):
It gives me chills, like.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
That is not like that attitude. I mean, I don't
need even know if it's possible now because you're you're
drug companies are not going to drug companies would patent
the sun if they could?
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Oh, I'm pretty sure there's probably some tech company in
the bank right now that's trying to patent the son
Like I'm certain they exist. Here's what was really cool
about Sock as well. He first tested the He tested
the vaccine right like, he tested it on himself and
(19:28):
his family.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
And I mean himself is one thing, by his family?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Really yeah, right, I mean, think about how confident you
have to be that this is gonna work that You're
just like, hey, son, come here.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Are we sure it's not as extended family.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
You know, like the uncle he hates or something.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
The cousins, his mother in law, father in law. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I love that he did that. I mean, it's one
thing to create a vaccine and be like, I don't know,
let's give it to poor people or marginalize people and
test it on those communities, right, But it's another thing
to be like, no, it's my own people. I think
he was a really interesting person.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
So he was married to Francoise g Loo, who is
also an exceptional painter. But she was Picasso's wife and
had children with him for a hot minute. Then she
divorced Picasso and she met Jonah Sulk, and at least
according to the show Genius, which you can watch on
(20:33):
Disney Plus, one of the things she said to Sulk
when she married him or agreed to marry him, she
was just like, I don't want you getting in the
way of me and my painting. Like I'll be married
to you, but like you can't stop me from painting.
And he was like, yes, yes, that is not an issue.
I'm too busy trying to cure polio. Right, right to
worry about your painting? Right? But what a power couple, right.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Man, that's wild man. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
So, so thanks to doctor Salk after the vaccine polio cases,
it just dropped dramatically within just a few years. And
then shortly after that, Albert Saban developed an oral vaccine,
the oral live vaccine, which was easier to give and
it was cheap and also played a role in eradication efforts.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
More to come on health stuff, you know, with all.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Of the misinformation or the mistrust of the system, the government,
pharmaceutical companies, I get it right. I think it's important
that we talk about the Cutter incident because I think
sometimes vaccine skeptics use the Cutter incident as an example
of why you can't trust institutions. And look, I agree,
(21:58):
like not all institutions are pristine or free of corruption.
But I think it's important we talk about this incident
because from my perspective, I actually don't think this incident
was all bad. I think it actually led later to
better things, like more safety reforms. So but yeah, let's
(22:19):
let the public know what was the Cutter incident.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
So Cutter Laboratories released batches of vaccine that were supposed
to contain a killed virus. We discussed how that works earlier,
but some batches still had live poliovirus in them, so
children who were being vaccinated to prevent POLYI were accidentally
infected instead. Within weeks, poliocases appeared in vaccinated children. The
mistake caused about forty thousand infections, more than two hundred
(22:46):
and fifty cases of prowsis, and ten deaths. The response
was immediate. The vaccine was recalled and health officials traced
the problem to specific batches. This tragedy led to much
stricter safety rules and manufacturings standards for vaccines. Production resumed
later that year under tighter oversight. So Cutter Laboratories had
(23:07):
followed the rules that existed at the time, but the
problem was the rules were not strict enough. So the
changes that followed made vaccines far safer going forward. So
when people cite the Cutter Laboratories story as an example
of how you can't trust the government or can't trust vaccines,
it's not completely true because it led to tighter standards
(23:27):
like this can't happen again, because all these different things
were put in place after the incident in nineteen fifty five.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, you know it's tough, right because, like, imagine you're
the parent of one of those ten deaths, right like,
you would be burned forever. And it's it's tough, right
because there the silver lighting was that, like now vaccines
are much safer because of this. So I mean, like
(23:55):
it's really hard to wrap your mind around this stuff
because any great discovery in medicine did come at the
cost of lives, right like, And it's a process. I
like to believe though, that we can believe that the
vaccine process is safe and we can have confidence in it.
(24:18):
I can say with confidence that the polio vaccine today
I believe to be safe. You know, it's been many,
many decades since the Cutter incident, and again, polio is
one of those diseases that sort of tried and true
to be very lethal, very noxious. So the vaccine definitely
works for that. But you know, I want to just honor,
(24:40):
like the people that got paralyzed or died from the
Cutter incident, Like I want to validate that you know,
that wasn't okay, and it was a very costly mistake.
But we learn from our mistakes. So One of the
things that I just want to like say again is
because polio has been so rare here in the United
(25:02):
States for so many decades, I think it's really easy
to forget how dangerous it was and could become again.
The reason polio is kept in checked is because of
the high vaccination rates. But to be clear, it hasn't
fully disappeared. It can, it's possible to eradicate it fully,
(25:24):
but it hasn't yet. So if there's anyone out there
that hasn't gotten the polio vaccine and wants to know, well,
what would it be like to get the vaccine? Generally,
the side effect from the vaccine are pretty mild, like
you might feel sore at the injection site. When it
comes to more serious reactions like an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis,
(25:48):
it's really really extremely rare, like I'm talking one in
a million. So the point being, I think that there's
a far greater risk of the disease itself then the
risk from the vaccine. And the other good thing is
that when you get vaccinated, you're also actually protecting other people.
(26:11):
I'm talking babies, people with weakened immune systems. That leads
to community protection. So not only are you practicing self care,
but you're being a hero for other people too, which
is a nice thing.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Now, some people are concerned about vaccine ingredients, and with
the polio vaccine, finding a formaldehyde is an ingredient can
sound alarming. Formaldehyde is what they used to, right, to
preserve animals, right.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Yeah, and cadavers. I remember in medical school when we
had cadaver lab and we would be studying gross anatomy.
The whole lab smelled of formaldehyde, and yeah, I'll never
forget that smell. In fact, I would go sometimes because
the smell of formaldehyde was so strong. I would take
(26:57):
a little bit of vasaline and just put it right
under my nostril to try and neutralize the scent, and
that would really help.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
It makes sense where people would be weirded out by
the fact that I'm.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Like, yeah, let's be honest.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, but let's talk about why it's there. It's used
during the manufacturing of some vaccines to kill viruses like
polio and hepatitis A, or bacterial toxins like diphtheria, and
it's a very very small amount. This quantity of formaldehyde
is considered to be safe for two reasons. It's essential
(27:32):
in human metabolism and is required for the synthesis of
DNA and amino acids. All humans have detectable quantities of
natural formaldehyde in their circulation. The amount of formaldehyde used
in some vaccines is so small compared to the concentration
that occurs naturally in the body that there is no
evidence it poses any safety concern. When the body breaks
(27:54):
down formaldehyde, it does not distinguish between formaldehyde from vaccines
and formaldehide, which is naturally produced or environmental.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Yeah. So the point being we have formaldehyde in our body,
there's such a little amount from the vaccines that your
body really quickly breaks it down because it's familiar with
the chemical and it can't tell the difference between whether
it's formaldehyde from itself or the vaccine. The point is
(28:24):
that this is not really an issue. And as someone
that was in gross anatomy lab, I have to be honest,
I probably inhaled a lot more formaldehyde as a medical
student studying gross anatomy than I would ever get in
getting vaccinated with the polio vaccine.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Here's a really, I think powerful quote from SoC Institute
President Gerald Joyce. I think he really nails it when
he says the most successful public health interventions are often
overlooked or underappreciated. Take them for granted because you don't
see what's not there. The near total absence of polio
(29:05):
in the US over the past several decades makes it
difficult for most of us to understand how terrible it was,
and too easy to devalue the heroic efforts that went
into eradicating it. And that's kind of what you had
said earlier, right, the idea that like, we don't see it,
so we assume it's not an issue, and it was
a huge issue and that's the reason you don't see
it now because of all the work that was put in.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
So I mean, I want to ask the listeners, are
we hammering this point enough? Like have we convinced you yet?
You know, the only reason that polio still exists and
it hasn't been fully eradicated is because there's not full
complete vaccine coverage. Like think about that. We have the
(29:51):
ability as a species to fully eradicate polio, but we
haven't done it because not everyone is vaccinated. And why
people aren't vaccinated, it's not just because of misinformation or
vaccine hesitancy, I mean, wars, conflict zones, communities that are
(30:11):
under vaccinated. They're just doing a little bit And to me,
I'm like, oh my god, we're so close. We're so close.
We can do this, but but we're we're we just
need to push a little bit harder.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
There's a privilege in this kind of skepticism. Like when
you when around the world, you see people not able
who would love to have access to these things to
save their communities, people in conflict zones where the vaccination
isn't widely available, Like they're literally dying to get these Yeah.
So there's something about the privilege of like now that
(30:47):
you don't have to face it all you're skeptical of it.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, exactly, just because you don't see it doesn't mean
it's not there. And literally, this virus can be prevented
by vaccines. And here's another thing. If people stop getting vaccinated,
Hollo Polo's coming back and it's not going to be nice.
(31:13):
So the most effective prevention against poliovirus is immunization, and
the primary risk factor of getting polio is not being vaccinated.
This is low bearing fruit people. I think this is
an easy one.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, we can do it. Yeah, Outside of vaccination, general
hygiene and cleanliness, like we've talked about already helps prevent
the spread of the illness, washing hands, covering sneezes and coughs,
and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah. And again, people think of polio as a disease
of the past, but that's because the vaccines really worked.
I just want to remind people that the virus is
still out there. Like, there are literally pockets the United
States right now where poliovirus is existing. And as long
as polio exists anywhere, it's a threat everywhere.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
It's okay to want more information about vaccinations, both the
efficacy and safety of them, but make sure you are
getting that information from reputable sources like this show. Like
this show, and I realized that's a tricky thing to
say when you know the United States Secretary of Health
and Human Services might not be a reputable source.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Yeah. Yeah, So at this point, feel free to turn
to the show for advice in the meantime.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Yeah, in the meantime. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
So, yeah, I hope we've hammered that enough. Polio vaccine
is the best way to protect yourself from polio.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
I mean it's it's really the only way to really
truly protect yourself from polio. Like, yeah, washing hands and
the rest of it. We do the best we can
when we do that, but the ability to actually nip
it in the butt all together, I mean, that is
the way to do it.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Yeah, and just as a human species, like, it's such
an amazing accomplishment. We actually figured out a way to
combat this virus. And by not getting vaccinated, you're basically
like taking a huge dump on like a pinnacle of
human achievement.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
And be careful with that dump because it might contain polio.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah. Well, thanks everyone for listening. If you're enjoying the show,
please like subscribe and give us five stars on whatever
platform you listen to. This engagement really helps us with
a wider audience and we so appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Thank you so much. Everybody, See you next week.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Health Stuff is a production of iHeart Podcasts. The show
is hosted by Me, doctor preancle Wally, and Harrie Konnebolu.
Producers are Rebecca Eisenberg, Jenna Cagel, Christina Loranger, Maya Howard,
and Katrina Norvel. Our researcher is Maria Tremarchi. And our
intern is Katia Zobel Leayala. To send us a question,
(34:06):
you can email us a voice memo at health Stuff
Podcast at gmail dot com. Thanks so much for listening.
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