How the Queen persuaded Brits to take up the polio vaccine

The polio vaccine was developed in the United States in the 1950's by Jonas Salk. He made his vaccine available to all in 1955, and it was a huge success.

In 1952, before the vaccine was introduced, there were about 58,000 cases in the United States, with over 3,100 dying of it and another 21,000 permanently disabled. Only a few lucky folk recovered.

But by 1955, after huge public trials, the vaccine brought down polio cases dramatically and was considered safe.

However, there were a few people given the vaccine who died or went on to develop polio, and these cases loomed large in the British public's mind. Some felt that the probablity of getting polio from the vaccine was greater than from catching the disease from another member of the public.

So when the vaccine became available in the UK in 1956, only 200,000 parents stepped forward to have their children vaccinated out of tens of millions.

The Queen was one of the early adopters, getting Prince Charles and Princess Anne vaccinated as soon as the vaccine became available.

And when she heard that the public take up was low, she authorised a press release about the royal vaccinations in 1957.

The press release turned the tide.

Anxious mothers reasoned that, "They wouldn't have given the vaccine to the royal children unless it was safe, therefore it's safe for my child". Which was exactly true - dangerous stuff isn't given to royals!

Very soon herd immunity built up, and in 1960 a new safer version of the vaccine was released that didn't cause the rare deaths or polio.

By 1988, Britain was polio free.