Not medical advice. This site is general information only. In an emergency call your local emergency number. For advice about your own health, speak to a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified health professional.
Historic Vaccine
21 entries
Smallpox Vaccine Jenner
Edward Jenner developed the first successful vaccine in 1796. Jenner observed that milkmaids who con...
Rabies Vaccine Pasteur
Louis Pasteur developed the rabies vaccine in 1885. Pasteur attenuated the rabies virus by drying in...
Polio Vaccine Salk
Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine using inactivated poliovirus. The vaccine was announced...
Polio Vaccine Sabin
Albert Sabin developed an oral polio vaccine using attenuated live virus. The Sabin vaccine was take...
Typhus Vaccine
Rudolf Weigl developed the first typhus vaccine in Lviv, Poland in 1920. Typhus, caused by Rickettsi...
SV40 Contamination
In 1960, scientists discovered that polio vaccines distributed between 1955 and 1963 were contaminat...
Cutter Incident
The Cutter Incident occurred in April 1955 when Cutter Laboratories failed to properly inactivate po...
Swine Flu 1976
In February 1976, an influenza outbreak at Fort Dix, New Jersey killed one soldier and sickened appr...
Yellow Fever 1942
During World War II, yellow fever vaccination of US troops caused an unexpected disaster. The yellow...
Lubeck Disaster
In 1930, about 250 infants in Lubeck, Germany received BCG vaccine contaminated with virulent tuberc...
Thimerosal Removal
Thimerosal, a mercury based preservative, was used in vaccines since the 1930s. In 1999, the FDA det...
Epidemic Typhus WW2
During World War II, epidemic typhus was a major threat. The disease killed millions during previous...
Meningitis Belt Africa
The African meningitis belt stretches across sub Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia. Epidemic m...
Influenza 1918 Vaccine
During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed tens of millions of people, no effective vaccine ex...
Pasteur Anthrax Trial
The Pouilly le Fort anthrax trial was one of the most dramatic public demonstrations in science hist...
Cholera Hamburg 1892
In 1892, a cholera epidemic struck Hamburg, Germany, killing roughly 8,600 people. Hamburg relied on...
Yellow Fever Construction
Yellow fever devastated construction of the Panama Canal. The disease killed thousands of workers in...
Rotavirus Intussusception
RotaShield, the first rotavirus vaccine, was licensed in August 1998. Within months, VAERS identifie...
Pertussis Sweden
Sweden discontinued whole cell pertussis vaccination in 1979 due to safety concerns. The decision wa...
Vaccine Thimerosal Flu
After thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines by 2001, it remained in multi dose vials of inf...
Vaccine Military History
Vaccines have been critical to military effectiveness throughout history. George Washington ordered ...