He gained his greatest recognition for developing a vaccine that became the first effective weapon in preventing poliomyelitis. Dr. Albert Bruce Sabin began his field trials in the USSR and Eastern Europe in 1957. Sabin later developed an effective oral polio vaccine. The vaccines were supposedly found safe, and there was evidence that it was effective.
However, polio vaccinations were not always effective, and it created problems. Vaccinations were expensive, and some people could not afford it. This gave rise to many problems for people to collect money to pay for the treatment. Some people conned other people, saying that they vaccinated patients for polio, but, instead, gave them vaccines that were not even for polio. The vaccine was uncertain and unreliable. At best, the immunity it gave was short-lived, probably five to eight weeks.
In some epidemics of polio, the vaccine did not appear to have the desired effects. In some European countries, in 1953, there were 40 cases of polio in vaccinated individuals. Polio cases had increased by 80% from 1958-1959 after the introduction of mass vaccination.
There were many side effects associated with the taking of the vaccine. The knowledge of some of these side effects was kept from people, because they did not want them to be frightened. By doing this, people were not aware of the possible consequences. Some side effects include fevers, allergic reactions with neurological effects, paralysis, cancers, lower-motor-neuron weakness, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), meningitis, and death. It may sound hard to believe, but people also contracted polio after being vaccinated. Some people were not even at risk for polio, yet they had to be vaccinated, and that caused them to contract polio. As with any medication, vaccines have side effects, allergies, and unintended effects. The milder reactions are more common, and the more severe reactions are rare; nevertheless, there were still unwanted side effects.