A Shot of Creativity

Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8th, 1935. The first two trials for vaccines against polio were conducted in that same year. Both, one led by Temple University and one by NYU, were a disaster. Not only did the vaccines not work, but they also ended up infecting several volunteers of the trials.

At that time, no other condition amassed the same amount of fear as polio. That's because it left visible marks: children wearing crutches, on wheelchairs, and, in the worst cases, trapped inside iron lungs. There was no treatment available. There was no way to prevent it.

But there was plenty of one thing: misinformation. People believed that cats, fleas, and even bananas imported from South America transmitted the virus. And among the miraculous medicines that existed back then, there were drugs made with plants, sawdust, and mothballs, that moms would make their children wear around their necks. However, there isn't any record of politicians advocating for such therapies. In fact, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had contracted the disease when he was already a grown man and was one of the fiercest advocates for a safe vaccine.

FDR was behind the March of Dimes, a fundraising campaign created by American moms to fight polio. The money they collected was literally sent in bags to the White House and distributed to scientists. As important as raising money, it was engaging the public. People who made contributions to the March of Dimes felt like they were part of the vaccine development effort. And they were.

Besides the funding, scientists knew they needed another thing from the American people: trust, which they had lost during 1935's unsuccessful trials. Dr. Jonas Salk, who headed a group of researchers at Pittsburgh's University, knew he needed to convince the public about the safety of the vaccines. So, he took any opportunity to promote his shot on the media. That made him a household name, who even got to the cover of Time magazine. And, when his vaccine was finally ready, he gave the first jab to his kids and himself. But it doesn't matter how good Dr. Salk was at promoting his vaccine. A scientist's reach is always restricted.

???????In 1956, Ed Sullivan welcomed a 21-year-old Elvis at his TV show, where he would perform "Love me tender," "Hound Dog," and "Don't Be Cruel." That performance became famous because it was the first time Elvis was filmed from his waist down on American television (at an earlier Ed Sullivan appearance, the TV host advised his camera crew not to focus on Elvis' pelvis for obvious reasons). But it also went down in history for a brilliant PR activation that happened a few moments before the King of Rock stepped on stage.

???????That night, Elvis was vaccinated against polio backstage. The picture with the doctor and the nurse (Ruth Taber, who was also the creative behind that PR stunt) giving Elvis the shot was seen by everyone after that TV performance. Vaccination rates spiked from 0.6% to 80%. It was the beginning of the end of the polio epidemic.

The vaccine created by Dr. Salk proved to be effective against the virus. But, in the fight against misinformation and against the public's distrust, the best medicine was –and always will be—creativity. When we talk about health, the power of a big idea is still alive, just like Elvis.

?