"Polio, a disease that has affected humanity throughout recorded history, attacks the nervous system and can cause varying degrees of paralysis. Since the virus is easily transmitted, epidemics were commonplace in the first decades of the 20th century. The first major polio epidemic in the United States occurred in Vermont in the summer of 1894, and by the 20th century thousands were affected every year. In the first decades of the 20th century, treatments were limited to quarantines and the infamous “iron lung,” a metal coffin-like contraption that aided respiration."
"After successfully inoculating thousands of monkeys, Salk began the risky step of testing the vaccine on humans in 1952. In addition to administering the vaccine to children at two Pittsburgh-area institutions, Salk injected himself, his wife and his three sons in his kitchen after boiling the needles and syringes on his stovetop. Salk announced the success of the initial human tests to a national radio audience on March 26, 1953." -- Dr. Jonas Salk announces polio vaccine.
"It is courage based on confidence, not daring, and it is confidence based on experience." - On testing his vaccine against polio on himself, his wife, and his three sons (9 May 1955).
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Midnight in Chernobyl by 
Drought, Flood, Fire by 
Polio by 
Spillover by 
The Great Influenza by 
Epidemics: the Impact of Germs and Their Power over Humanity by 
Typhoid Mary by 
The Coming Plague by 
Case Studies in Public Health Preparedness and Response to Disasters by 
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The Hot Zone by 
The Next Great Migration by 
Pandemic by 
The Mosquito by "Whether at the national, regional, or local level, responses to disasters require extensive involvement from physicians individually and collectively. Because of their commitment to care for the sick and injured, individual physicians have an obligation to provide urgent medical care during disasters. This obligation holds even in the face of greater than usual risks to physicians’ own safety, health, or life."
"However, the physician workforce is not an unlimited resource. Therefore, when providing care in a disaster with its inherent dangers, physicians also have an obligation to evaluate the risks of providing care to individual patients versus the need to be available to provide care in the future." AMA Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 8.3
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"“Every year, tens of thousands of Americans get sick from diseases spread between animals and people. CDC’s One Health Office is collaborating with DOI, USDA, and other partners across the government to bring together disease detectives, laboratorians, physicians, and veterinarians to prevent those illnesses and protect the health of people, animals, and our environment,” said Casey Barton Behravesh, M.S., D.V.M., Dr.P.H., director, One Health Office, CDC.
"Six out of every 10 infectious diseases in people are zoonotic, which makes it crucial that the nation strengthen its capabilities to prevent and respond to these diseases using a One Health approach. One Health is an approach that recognizes the connection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment and calls for experts in human, animal, and environmental health to work together to achieve the best health outcomes for all." - 8 Zoonotic Diseases Shared Between Animals and People of Most Concern in the U.S
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LGBTQ History Month: The early days of America’s AIDS crisis. (2018). NBC News.
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"Perhaps the most common misconception is that a child’s immune system can be “overloaded” if the child receives multiple vaccines at once. This concern first began to appear as the recommended childhood immunization schedule expanded to include more vaccines, and as some vaccines were combined into a single shot. However, studies have repeatedly demonstrated that the recommended vaccines are no more likely to cause adverse effects when given in combination than when they are administered separately.
Some parents decide to “spread out” the time period during which their children receive vaccinations “just in case” this misconception is accurate. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this approach, and delaying vaccinations puts children at risk of contracting preventable diseases." From Vaccines 101 | History of Vaccines.
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"For over 75 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has focused on controlling, containing, and eliminating diseases that know no borders. Today, globalization makes it easier to move people and goods across the world in a short time. CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) focuses on activities that lessen the public health risks of rapid global travel because diseases and outbreaks can quickly cross international borders."
--CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.
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"On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank resulting in the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon and the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling operations. 4 million barrels of oil flowed from the damaged Macondo well over an 87-day period, before it was finally capped on July 15, 2010. On December 15, 2010, the United States filed a complaint in District Court against BP Exploration & Production and several other defendants alleged to be responsible for the spill." -- Deepwater Horizon
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