Salk and Sabin's discovery led to the:

Salk and Sabin's discovery led to the:

• A. Development of antibiotics
• B. Eradication of smallpox
• C. Prevention of polio
• D. Discovery of X-rays

Answer: (C)

Vaccines train the immune system to recognize and fight off specific pathogens, preventing disease from developing. Salk and Sabin developed vaccines that protect against poliomyelitis, a viral illness that can cause paralysis. Salk’s vaccine uses inactivated virus delivered by injection, while Sabin’s uses an oral, attenuated form. Mass vaccination with these vaccines dramatically reduced polio cases and moved global health efforts toward eradicating the disease. So, the discovery’s impact is the prevention of polio. The other options don’t fit: antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not a viral disease like polio; eradication of smallpox was achieved through vaccination but by a different context and disease; X-rays are unrelated to polio or vaccines.

Vaccines train the immune system to recognize and fight off specific pathogens, preventing disease from developing. Salk and Sabin developed vaccines that protect against poliomyelitis, a viral illness that can cause paralysis. Salk’s vaccine uses inactivated virus delivered by injection, while Sabin’s uses an oral, attenuated form. Mass vaccination with these vaccines dramatically reduced polio cases and moved global health efforts toward eradicating the disease. So, the discovery’s impact is the prevention of polio. The other options don’t fit: antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not a viral disease like polio; eradication of smallpox was achieved through vaccination but by a different context and disease; X-rays are unrelated to polio or vaccines.