Oral Poliovirus Vaccine

Sabin was one of several polio researchers working to develop an attenuated live virus vaccine. His was ready for testing on human volunteers by the mid-1950s.

Dr. Sabin began his testing in 1954 with volunteers at a correctional facility in Chillicothe, Ohio. Later, countries such as the Soviet Union, Mexico and Czechoslovakia participated in large field trials. On April 24, 1960, the first community-wide immunization program began in Cincinnati, Ohio. The success of these studies, trials and programs eventually assisted efforts in the US to switch from an inactivated vaccine to a live, attenuated one.

Dr. Sabin's vaccine was approved for use in the United States in 1961 and quickly became the vaccine of choice. Although numerous pharmaceutical companies produced the vaccine globally, Sabin closely monitored, approved, and often inspected its manufacture to ensure maintenance of quality production standards.