Dr. Paul Offit

But when I came onto that committee, I asked the head of the group, the ACIP, if I could be head of the polio working group, because I wanted to get us away from that vaccine. because it was unconscionable. I just couldn't stand that we had another alternative.

But when I came onto that committee, I asked the head of the group, the ACIP, if I could be head of the polio working group, because I wanted to get us away from that vaccine. because it was unconscionable. I just couldn't stand that we had another alternative.

And so what was interesting at the time, there was enormous pushback from people who I respected, people who were the head of the AAP, one person who was on the short list for the Nobel Prize. Is that because of the Cutter incident still, like the remaining sentiment? That is a great question. And the answer, shockingly, is yes.

And so what was interesting at the time, there was enormous pushback from people who I respected, people who were the head of the AAP, one person who was on the short list for the Nobel Prize. Is that because of the Cutter incident still, like the remaining sentiment? That is a great question. And the answer, shockingly, is yes.

And so what was interesting at the time, there was enormous pushback from people who I respected, people who were the head of the AAP, one person who was on the short list for the Nobel Prize. Is that because of the Cutter incident still, like the remaining sentiment? That is a great question. And the answer, shockingly, is yes.

There were still some people who believe we couldn't make an inactivated vaccine by completely inactivating the virus, that there still may be residual live virus, even though this was, whatever, 45 years earlier. So it was really hard. One person I remember said, think about it. We're going to be paying $4.5 million for every case of vaccine-associated paralysis prevented. Yeah, and?

There were still some people who believe we couldn't make an inactivated vaccine by completely inactivating the virus, that there still may be residual live virus, even though this was, whatever, 45 years earlier. So it was really hard. One person I remember said, think about it. We're going to be paying $4.5 million for every case of vaccine-associated paralysis prevented. Yeah, and?

There were still some people who believe we couldn't make an inactivated vaccine by completely inactivating the virus, that there still may be residual live virus, even though this was, whatever, 45 years earlier. So it was really hard. One person I remember said, think about it. We're going to be paying $4.5 million for every case of vaccine-associated paralysis prevented. Yeah, and?

I'm with you so far. So what I did was, there was a guy named John Salamone, who was the head of the Italian American Association, who... was really good. I mean, he was a vaccine safety activist, an actual vaccine safety activist because his son was paralyzed by the oral polio vaccine and subsequently passed away.

I'm with you so far. So what I did was, there was a guy named John Salamone, who was the head of the Italian American Association, who... was really good. I mean, he was a vaccine safety activist, an actual vaccine safety activist because his son was paralyzed by the oral polio vaccine and subsequently passed away.

I'm with you so far. So what I did was, there was a guy named John Salamone, who was the head of the Italian American Association, who... was really good. I mean, he was a vaccine safety activist, an actual vaccine safety activist because his son was paralyzed by the oral polio vaccine and subsequently passed away.

And so I brought him on the committee at a time when we really weren't bringing sort of non-MD PhDs on the committee because I wanted those people who didn't want to make that leap back to the inactivated vaccine to tell him that it was too much money. It was an interesting process, that whole process.

And so I brought him on the committee at a time when we really weren't bringing sort of non-MD PhDs on the committee because I wanted those people who didn't want to make that leap back to the inactivated vaccine to tell him that it was too much money. It was an interesting process, that whole process.

And so I brought him on the committee at a time when we really weren't bringing sort of non-MD PhDs on the committee because I wanted those people who didn't want to make that leap back to the inactivated vaccine to tell him that it was too much money. It was an interesting process, that whole process.

So we haven't been using the oral vaccine in this country really since 2000, so it's almost 25 years. The advantage of the oral polio vaccine is, one, you can just squirt it in the mouth, so it doesn't require a medical person to do that because it's not a shot. And there's also something called contact immunity, which is not herd immunity.

So we haven't been using the oral vaccine in this country really since 2000, so it's almost 25 years. The advantage of the oral polio vaccine is, one, you can just squirt it in the mouth, so it doesn't require a medical person to do that because it's not a shot. And there's also something called contact immunity, which is not herd immunity.

So we haven't been using the oral vaccine in this country really since 2000, so it's almost 25 years. The advantage of the oral polio vaccine is, one, you can just squirt it in the mouth, so it doesn't require a medical person to do that because it's not a shot. And there's also something called contact immunity, which is not herd immunity.

Contact immunity is you get the vaccine, it continues to reproduce and shed in the stool. So about 25% of people in the home, say, who weren't immune to polio will come in contact with the shed virus from that child, and they too will become immunized. So you get immunization beyond the people that you immunize.

Contact immunity is you get the vaccine, it continues to reproduce and shed in the stool. So about 25% of people in the home, say, who weren't immune to polio will come in contact with the shed virus from that child, and they too will become immunized. So you get immunization beyond the people that you immunize.

Contact immunity is you get the vaccine, it continues to reproduce and shed in the stool. So about 25% of people in the home, say, who weren't immune to polio will come in contact with the shed virus from that child, and they too will become immunized. So you get immunization beyond the people that you immunize.