Taming the global scourge of polio: An Index

	Morris Berman, Post-Gazette Jonas Salk displays the polio vaccine during a press conference in Pittsburgh half a century ago. Click photo for larger image.

Fifty years ago, Jonas Salk's team at the University of Pittsburgh created the first effective polio vaccine, the initial step toward eliminating the crippling, life-threatening epidemics that had terrorized American families.

Science Editor Byron Spice presents the first of two installments recounting how the vaccine was developed, as seen through the eyes of Salk's righthand man and the only surviving member of the original team, Julius Youngner.

And in a special report, "Polio's Final Chapter," Health Editor Virginia Linn and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Martha Rial dramatically depict the push to eliminate polio in its most stubborn remaining stronghold -- the Muslim territory of northern Nigeria.

Index

From Pittsburgh: The Salk vaccine / 50 years later

Part one: Developing a medical milestone: the Salk polio vaccine
Celebrations, symposiums to mark 50th anniversary of Salk polio vaccine
Part two: Tireless polio research effort bears fruit and indignation
Youngner's role in polio vaccine a springboard to success
Part three: Polio pioneers, 50 years later: Polio's touch reflected through the stories of eight lives

From Nigeria: Polio's Final Chapter

Once nearly eradicated, polio makes a comeback in Africa
Photo Journal: Polio's Final Chapter
With little government aid, polio victims unite to lift themselves
Teen polio survivor, now a beggar, aspires to be a banker
Nigerians turn to traditional healers for medical needs
Nigerian woman lives a full life, despite the burden of polio
For a fortunate few, early treatment and therapy minimize the ravages of polio
Rotary International committed to polio eradication effort
Learn more about the polio eradication effort

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Era's looser rules helped speed Salk vaccine
Pitt celebrates Salk's victory
Pitt celebrates Salk's victory
Lawsuits, regulation make vaccines a tough business
Polio's touch etched in time
Polio: 3 books cover history, impact of once-feared disease

	Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Firdausi Adamu, 9, contracted polio when she was four. She smiles after an appointment at the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Kano, Nigeria, where her right leg was measured for a new brace. Once nearly eradicated, polio is making a comeback in Africa. Click photo for larger image.