Vaccines come from different places and times, even if not made in the USA.  In the 1980s someone was brewing up a new vaccine in China.  A vaccine to fight polio.  It was called the Sabin strains-derived inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV).  This vaccine is part of the polio research legacy, so it is important to understand it.  More and more people are now asking the question why just rely on one form of vaccine.   A big reason was all the knowledge and technology out there at the time.

So, the sIPV story started in China.  Scientific teams were looking for a new product.  They were chasing profit and personal achievement.  This is a common thing for many scientists and organizations, then and now.  People were working on vaccines all over the world.  They were sharing information and technology.  There were no big corporations in the way to slow things down. The scientists’ motives and passion were the only thing guiding them.

Scientists were exchanging letters and ideas.  They had a shared desire to get rid of polio.  Jonas Salk, the famous scientist known for the polio vaccine, .  He sent a letter to a Chinese scientist, Jiang Shude.  This letter was dated June 3, 1986.  It offered Jiang and his team a chance to learn something new.  They could travel to Europe.  It was pretty generous.  Jiang Shude and his team worked at the Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) at Flower Red Cave in the Western Hills of Kunming.

The IMB had a big idea.  They wanted to make an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).  This was planned back in 1984.  They had their minds set on it.  Two years later, Jonas Salk sent a letter to Jiang Shude.  The letter was to discuss the IMB's proposal.  They wanted to learn IPV-related technology.  This would be possible with a $10, 000 grant for one year.  It was a dream trip for any scientist working with polio.  It was a big chance but it didn't end up happening.  The team had to put their dreams on hold.  However, this is still a good example of how scientists worked together back then.  They were not afraid to ask for help and work together for the good.

The global polio eradication agenda was changing.  The world was fighting polio.  There was a lot of support.  This support helped scientists like Jiang Shude learn more about vaccines.  They had to think about multiple factors.  This is the nature of vaccinology.  Scientists have to act in the present but also think about the future.  They have to consider different factors.  They have to figure out how to make vaccines better.

China's story in the global vaccine fight.  China is an important part of this fight.  They have very interesting ideas and their own experiences.  Most people focus on the West.  This is a shame because vaccines had quite the journey in China.  We need to look at these stories.  They can be interesting and important.  Some people think that China's vaccine story is important.  However, they are still kept in the shadows.  We need to learn more about them.  China's history has a lot to offer in the vaccine science world.

The politicization of imported vaccines is a big topic.  We need to think about the impact of this.  When  vaccines come from other places, this can have big consequences.

It can change how vaccines are made and used.

Back to the Basics: Jonas Salk, Distant Discovery and China's Polio Vaccine

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