Salk and Sabin are best known for their work in preventing which disease?

• A. Smallpox
• B. Measles
• C. Tuberculosis
• D. Polio

Answer: (D)

These two scientists are famous for vaccines that stopped a paralytic disease. Jonas Salk developed the first widely used vaccine for poliomyelitis using killed virus, making vaccination safe for large populations. Albert Sabin then created the oral polio vaccine, which made mass immunization even easier and helped drive polio cases down globally. Poliomyelitis is the disease in question—an infection that can attack the nervous system and cause paralysis. Their pioneering work on polio vaccines dramatically reduced the burden of this disease and moved many regions closer to eradication. The other diseases listed have different vaccine histories, so the association with Salk and Sabin is specific to polio.