: a polio vaccine that contains three serotypes of poliovirus inactivated by treatment with formaldehyde and is administered by intramuscular injection compare sabin vaccine

Examples of Salk vaccine in a Sentence

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Restrictions were lifted in September after new cases subsided, but the city would face larger polio outbreaks in later years before the Salk vaccine became available. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 3 July 2025 In 1954, the first mass inoculation of schoolchildren against polio using the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh as some 5,000 students were vaccinated. Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Jonas Salk

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Salk vaccine was in 1954

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Cite this Entry

“Salk vaccine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Salk%20vaccine. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

: a polio vaccine that contains inactivated virus
Etymology

named for Jonas Salk died 1985 an American doctor who developed the vaccine

Medical Definition

: a polio vaccine that is administered by intramuscular injection and contains the three serotypes of poliovirus inactivated by treatment with formaldehyde compare sabin vaccine

More from Merriam-Webster on Salk vaccine

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