Brady Collins
In the 1950s, Jonas Salk developed the first successful polio vaccine, an inactivated (killed) poliovirus vaccine. The vaccine was licensed in 1955, and soon after, mass polio vaccination began in the US. However, within days, reports emerged of children contracting paralytic polio after receiving the Salk polio vaccine manufactured by Cutter Laboratories. This incident, known as the Cutter Incident, raised concerns about the safety of the vaccine and led to investigations and litigation. It is important to note that the incident involved a specific batch of the Salk polio vaccine from Cutter Laboratories and not all batches or versions of the polio vaccine. The overall development of polio vaccines has been a complex process with contributions from multiple scientists, including Albert Sabin, who introduced an oral polio vaccine in 1961.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1955 |
| Location | Five Western and mid-Western USA states |
| Vaccine manufacturer | Cutter Laboratories |
| Number of children vaccinated | 200,000+ |
| Number of cases of polio caused | 40,000 |
| Number of children paralysed | 200 |
| Number of deaths | 10 |
| Cause | Inactivation process of live virus proved to be defective |
| Outcome | First mass vaccination programme against polio abandoned |
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What You'll Learn
The Cutter Incident
In April 1955, more than 200,000 children across five states in the Western and Midwestern USA received a polio vaccine in which the process of inactivating the live virus was defective. Within days, there were reports of paralysis, and within a month, the first mass vaccination programme against polio had to be abandoned. This incident became known as the Cutter Incident.
The vaccine was manufactured by Cutter Laboratories, a California-based family-owned pharmaceutical company. Subsequent investigations revealed that the vaccine had caused 40,000 cases of polio, leaving 200 children with varying degrees of paralysis and killing 10. The Cutter Incident exposed several thousand children to the live polio virus through vaccination. In addition to the 10 deaths mentioned above, the exposures led to an epidemic of polio in the families and communities of the affected children, resulting in a further 113 people being paralysed and five deaths.
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Salk's formaldehyde-treated vaccine
In the 1950s, Jonas Salk developed a formaldehyde-treated vaccine for polio, a disease that was then the most feared in the world, killing or paralysing over half a million people annually. The poliovirus was first successfully cultivated in human tissue in 1949, and the first successful polio vaccine was created by US physician Salk in the early 1950s. Salk's inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) was licensed in 1955, and by 1961, only 161 cases of polio remained in the US.
Salk's vaccine was created using formaldehyde to treat the poliovirus, inactivating it. This method was first discovered by Maurice Brodie, who ground up the spinal cords of infected monkeys and treated them with various germicides, finding that a solution of formaldehyde was the most effective. Brodie published his findings in 1934, demonstrating successful immunity in monkeys. However, Brodie's work faced scrutiny from the scientific community, as many believed that a killed virus vaccine would not be effective.
Salk's vaccine was the first successful polio vaccine, and it was highly effective and safe. Salk tested his vaccine on himself and his family in 1953 and on 1.6 million children in Canada, Finland, and the US in 1954. The results were positive, and the vaccine was licensed in 1955. Salk's commitment to equitable access to his vaccine played a crucial role in the fight against polio.
However, in 1955, a tragedy known as the Cutter Incident occurred when more than 200,000 children received a defective polio vaccine. The vaccine, manufactured by Cutter Laboratories, had not properly inactivated the virus, leading to 40,000 cases of polio and causing paralysis and death in hundreds of children. This incident led to the replacement of Salk's formaldehyde-treated vaccine with Albert Sabin's attenuated strain, an oral vaccine that offered wider 'contact immunity'.
Despite the Cutter Incident, Salk's contributions to the eradication of polio are significant. His vaccine reduced the number of polio cases drastically, and his commitment to equitable access ensured that the elimination efforts were successful. The Cutter Incident also led to effective federal regulation of vaccines, improving their safety standards.
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The vaccine crisis
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, polio was the most feared disease in the world, with frequent epidemics. By the mid-20th century, the poliovirus could be found worldwide, killing or paralysing over half a million people annually. With no cure and rising epidemics, there was an urgent need for a vaccine.
In 1951, Jonas Salk received $200,000 for his research, thanks to the largest public fundraising activity ever held—The March of Dimes. By 1954, his vaccine was ready for clinical trials on 1.8 million children. The results were announced on 12 April 1955, and Salk's inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) was licensed the same day.
However, within days, there were reports of paralysis in children who had received the vaccine. The Cutter Incident, as it came to be known, revealed that the manufacturing process of inactivating the live virus was defective. The vaccine, manufactured by Cutter Laboratories, had caused 40,000 cases of polio, leaving 200 children paralysed and killing 10.
The Cutter Incident led to a growing vaccine crisis. It resulted in the federal regulation of vaccines and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in 1986 to protect manufacturers from litigation. It also led to the replacement of Salk's formaldehyde-treated vaccine with Sabin's attenuated strain. While Sabin's vaccine offered wider 'contact immunity' and could be administered orally, it could also be reactivated by passage through the gut, resulting in occasional cases of polio.
The Cutter Incident highlighted the importance of effective vaccine regulation and the need to balance litigation with the continuing production of vaccines. It also underscored the potential consequences of releasing a vaccine that had not been thoroughly tested and the challenges of communicating scientific uncertainties to the public.
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The March of Dimes
The name "March of Dimes" was coined by Eddie Cantor, a radio and screen star, who inspired a nationwide fundraising campaign in the week before Roosevelt's birthday on January 30, 1938. Lapel pins were sold for ten cents, with donations coming from both adults and children. The campaign was a success, with mailbags full of dimes, quarters, and even dollar bills arriving at the White House.
In the context of the polio vaccine, the March of Dimes played a significant role in raising funds for research and bringing national attention to the disease. The Cutter Incident in 1955, involving a defective polio vaccine, led to a growing vaccine crisis and resulted in the federal regulation of vaccines. While the incident caused harm, it also contributed to the development of safer vaccines and the eradication of polio. Jonas Salk, a pioneer in vaccine development, created the first successful polio vaccine, which was licensed in 1955 and significantly reduced polio cases.
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Salk's vaccine trials
In 1954, Salk's vaccine was ready for a large-scale clinical trial that was to include 1.8 million children: 420,000 receiving the vaccine, 200,000 receiving a placebo, and 1.2 million receiving nothing. The vaccine was highly effective and safe. It was licensed the next day, and during the next two weeks, five companies distributed about five million doses. However, 13 days after the first doses were administered, there were reports of cases of polio in immunised children. All of these initial cases had received a vaccine manufactured by Cutter Laboratories (although vaccine made by Wyeth also caused some cases of polio).
The Cutter Incident, as it came to be known, led to the effective federal regulation of vaccines. It also resulted in a court ruling that Cutter was liable to pay compensation to those damaged by its polio vaccine, even though it was not found to be negligent in its production. This opened the floodgates to a wave of litigation, and vaccines became one of the first medical products almost eliminated by lawsuits.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the Cutter vaccine had been defective, with insufficient inactivation of the live virus. The vaccine caused 40,000 cases of polio, leaving 200 children with varying degrees of paralysis and killing 10.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. In 1955, Jonas Salk's polio vaccine, manufactured by Cutter Laboratories, was found to be defective, causing 40,000 cases of polio and killing 10 children.
The Cutter Incident refers to the distribution of Salk's polio vaccine, which was found to be contaminated with live polio virus. This resulted in the infection of over 200,000 people and caused paralysis and death in some cases.
No. While Cutter Laboratories was found liable for the defective vaccine and had to pay compensation, they were not found negligent in its production.
Yes. The incident created a perception among scientists and the public that Salk's vaccine was dangerous, which led to the development of alternative polio vaccines.
While Salk's vaccine was a significant breakthrough, he was not awarded the Nobel Prize. His work was recognised through funding and support from organisations like the March of Dimes.
