Salk and Sabin: The Rivalry That Killed Polio

By Tim White

Polio (aka poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis) is a horrific disease. Even though 99.5 percent of those infected exhibit no or minor symptoms, they are nonetheless contagious for up to several months until the body eliminates the virus naturally. The remaining 0.5 percent of those infected—a number that includes tens of millions of people throughout r…