The Lacuna Project

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Exhibit 071

The Cutter Incident: How America's First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis

Exhibit 071 ยท History

The Cutter Incident: How America's First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis

About 120,000 doses of Cutter's April 1955 vaccine contained live poliovirus. Among vaccinated children, 56 developed paralytic polio, 51 of them permanently paralyzed, and 5 died. The resulting community spread paralyzed 113 family and community contacts and killed 5. Offit argues that liability without fault after Cutter drove manufacturers out of vaccine production.

Source
Paul A. Offit, Yale University Press
Date
2005
Grade
Reported
Document
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300108644/the-cutter-incident/
Accessed
2026-11-09
Cited by
Findings citing this exhibit
Note
Figures known through secondary summaries of the book.

Cited by

Finding MED-5.1
Primary record A California court held Cutter Laboratories liable for polio caused by its 1955 vaccine after a jury found the company had not been negligent.