My Essential Questions

My topic is polio. I am inspired to do this topic because of my uncle. He was born in 1952 and was diagnosed with the disease polio. My great grandmother told me that when he was born there was a vaccine for all newborns. The doctors gave my uncle the vaccine at 6 months old. It didn’t work, and he now has to live with this disease till this day. I have some background on polio. I know there were two different vaccines made by two different people. But what I really want to know is why and how did this disease spread so rapidly and take so long to find a vaccine?

·         Which vaccine worked the best?

·         How did the vaccine affect people internationally?

·         What if there was no successful vaccine?

·         Should parents be required to vaccinate their kids for polio?

·         Why is it important to get the vaccine to the kids?

Story Behind My Topic

Story Behind My Topic

Over 60 years ago, my uncle was diagnosed with poliomyelitis, a disease that causes paralysis. The doctors had given him the vaccine to prevent the disease, but it did not work. Thankfully, my uncle is still alive today, but he has to have a nurse by his side to take care of him. My family thinks that what was given to him was a cure that would not work in the first place. I know polio causes paralysis but I would like to learn more about what my uncle is having to live with.