With funds from the March of Dimes, Dr. Salk developed a vaccine to prevent polio in the 1950's.

The nine vaccines include some regularly given to millions of American children, including common vaccines to prevent polio, diphtheria and tetanus.

The outbreak prompted an emergency quarantine and mass immunization, which successfully prevented polio from spreading to the rest of the state.

The entire family also participated in the Sabin vaccine program to prevent polio.

Parents are used to the idea of their babies getting up to 20 vaccinations by age 2 to prevent polio, measles, chickenpox and other diseases transmitted by coughing.

Virologist Isabel Morgan had earlier shown and published that a killed-virus could prevent polio, although she did not test her vaccines on humans.

Vaccines are routinely given to prevent polio and many other infections.

Companies are also working on safer versions of familiar vaccines, like those now used to prevent polio, measles, mumps and whooping cough.

These include products to prevent polio; meningitis; respiratory syncytia, which causes severe damage in infants, and whooping cough, or pertussis.

Medicine can prevent polio and heal stomach ulcers, but what if it could successfully nip all diseases as soon as they showed themselves?