Dr. William Schaffner - Polio Confidential: Stories from Those Who Lived It, How A Virus Changed History (Part 3)

Today is part three of Polio Confidential: Stories from Those Who Lived It, How A Virus Changed History. Today we are speaking with Dr. William Schaffner.

Dr. Schaffner is a Professor of Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Early in his career, he was commissioned as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the CDC in Atlanta, where he investigated outbreaks of communicable diseases in the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Schaffner has worked extensively for the effective use of vaccines in both pediatric and adult populations and has been a member of numerous expert advisory committees that establish national vaccine policy and is committed to public communication about medicine. 

(00:18) Introduction
(02:37) Was polio still an issue in 1962?
(03:16) Dr. Schaffner was a Polio Pioneer
(05:44) Memorable encounter with a polio patient
(08:03) Growing up with those affected by polio
(09:16) Signs and symptoms of polio virus infection
(11:05) Description of an iron lung
(15:34) Story about training doctors on use of an iron lung
(18:40) Should non-medical vaccine exemptions be allowed?
(20:16) How should we talk to parents about polio and vaccines?
(21:47) What keeps Dr. Schaffner up at night?

Visit us at OnMedicalGrounds.com for more podcasts or download our app! You can subscribe through your podcast platform, our website, or follow us on social media for podcast updates and medical news. Some of our podcasts offer FREE CME/CE credits.
LinkTree
BlueSky
LinkedIn
Instagram