Great question!

Brett Weinstein has spoken about this topic extensively on his podcast with Forrest Maready who wrote a book called “The Moth and the iron lung”

https://unbekoming.substack.com/p/the-untold-story-of-polio

youtube video is linked

The story behind Polio, Smallpox, Spanish Flu etc. fascinating take about why (which you’ve alluded to already $$)