The official narrative is simple: vaccines eradicated polio. But a closer look at the historical record reveals a more complex and disturbing reality. In 1955, the very year the Salk vaccine was introduced, the definition of "polio" was radically changed.

Moving the Goalposts

Prior to 1954, doctors were encouraged to diagnose "polio" liberally. Any patient with paralysis—even if it lasted only 24 hours—was counted as a polio case. This inflated the numbers, creating a terrifying epidemic in the public mind.

However, once the vaccine was introduced, the criteria were tightened drastically. To be diagnosed with paralytic polio, a patient now had to exhibit paralysis for 60 days or longer. This single administrative change eliminated thousands of "cases" overnight, creating the statistical illusion of a vaccine miracle.

The AFP Scandal in India

This pattern continues today. In India, after a massive oral polio vaccine campaign, the country was declared "polio-free" in 2011. Yet, in the same period, cases of Non-Polio Acute Flaccid Paralysis (NPAFP) skyrocketed.

A 2018 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found a direct correlation: the more polio vaccine doses administered in a region, the higher the rate of NPAFP. In some years, there were over 47,000 cases of AFP—clinically indistinguishable from polio—in a country that was supposedly "polio-free."