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When was the Salk polio vaccine licensed for public use in the United States?
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polio
A health care worker giving a polio vaccine to a child in Katsina state, Nigeria, 2014.
The Salk polio vaccine, also known as the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), was licensed for public use in the United States on April 12, 1955.12
This licensing occurred on the same day that the results of the massive Francis Field Trialâwhich involved 1.8 million childrenâwere declared a success, confirming that the vaccine was 80â90 percent effective. Following its release, the vaccine played a critical role in significantly reducing the incidence of polio across the country.312