Polio control strategies and policies in France (1955-1968)

Résumé En

At the beginning of the 20th century, polio became more visible, spreading over the Old and New Continent. The incidence of the disease gradually increased throughout the century to become critical after the Second World War. The two main polio vaccines were developed in the USA and allowed progressive control of the disease, or even its virtual eradication, in America or Europe.While the history of polio control in the United States or in several European countries is overwhelmingly well-documented, very few studies have focused on the case of France, where Pierre Lépine developed an inactivated virus vaccine, quite similar to the Salk vaccine.This communication deals with polio control strategies and policies implemented by France from 1955 until 1968. We focus on the role played by foreign research stays of main French scientists involved in the process and on one actor, the Institut Mérieux of Lyon, which was one of the two producers of polio vaccines in France with the Institut Pasteur. We’ll seek to understand how this actor mobilised the health community around polio; who were the other actors involved and which was the role played by foreign research stays of Pierre Lépine in the development of his inactivated virus vaccine; what interests Institut Mérieux could derive from this business; whether political, economic, or even socio-cultural determinants have had an influence in the fight against the disease; and ultimately if the actions of Institut Mérieux had a real impact on polio control strategies and policies in France.