In 1952, its peak year in the U.S., polio outbreaks left nearly 21,000 victims paralyzed and 3,000 dead. After the country introduced a vaccine, which became widely available in 1955, cases in the U.S. dropped to fewer than 100 per year within a decade.
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Iron lungs line up in all-out war on polio at the new Ranchos Los Amigos Respiratory Center after being rushed from the Los Angeles County Hospital in specially constructed ambulances, circa 1950. (Bettmann / Getty)
In 1952, its peak year in the U.S., polio outbreaks left nearly 21,000 victims paralyzed and 3,000 dead. After the country introduced a vaccine, which became widely available in 1955, cases in the U.S. dropped to fewer than 100 per year within a decade.
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