DDT used to combat infantile paralysis (polio) 1946 San Antonio Texas

Polio is a highly contagious illness that was one of the most dreaded childhood diseases of the 20th century in the United States. However, thanks to the introduction of the vaccine in the 1955, the number of cases has decreased dramatically. Poliovirus transmission most often occurs through contact with stool of this infected person. Less frequently, polio transmission can occur through contact with infected respiratory secretions or saliva. So why did communities spray DDT during polio outbreaks? Scientists, health officials and doctors of the era seemed helpless to prevent its spread of polio. Measures that previously proved effective in dealing with infectious diseases seemed to have little effect in preventing the spread of polio. Desperate local officials and parents turned to the methods that had worked in the past: demanding clean air, food and water, eliminating pests such as rats and flies, or experimenting with new medicines and quarantines. Nothing seemed to work. During polio outbreaks peop