"After decades of American children routinely receiving polio vaccines, the virus that had doomed many to paralysis was nearly eliminated in the United States. But vaccine avoidance today may allow the crippling disease to return. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook talks with David Oshinsky, author of "Polio: An American Story," and with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, who contracted polio as a child, about how parents opting out of vaccinations for their children could affect polio rates here."
"After decades of American children routinely receiving polio vaccines, the virus that had doomed many to paralysis was nearly eliminated in the United States. But vaccine avoidance today may allow the crippling disease to return. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook talks with David Oshinsky, author of "Polio: An American Story," and with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, who contracted polio as a child, about how parents opting out of vaccinations for their children could affect polio rates here."
Decades of routine childhood polio vaccination nearly eliminated the virus in the United States. Declining vaccination coverage and parental opt-outs increase population susceptibility and could allow the crippling disease to return. Violinist Itzhak Perlman contracted polio as a child and his experience illustrates the lifelong impact of the disease. Lower herd immunity raises the likelihood of outbreaks and threatens to reverse decades of public health progress. Sustaining high childhood vaccination rates is essential to prevent resurgence, protect vulnerable populations, and avoid a return of paralysis-causing infections.
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