Swine Flu Vaccination 1976 style
Back in 1976 there was a genuine concern that Swine Influenza would break out. In the USA 45 million Americans got flu shots. However, the campaign to vaccinate against Swine Flu was stopped after several hundred people came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare paralyzing disease. Some of those vaccinated died.
Here is some footage of the advertising to get people vaccinated in 1976:
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As we know, the 1976 scare was just that, the epidemic never came. However, it raises an interesting question about vaccination in 2009. Should health officials go ahead and call the public to vaccinate? If they do, the upcoming seasonal flu in the autumn will possibly require a second vaccination. While it may be possible to manufacture enough vaccine for one flu round, it probably is not possible to manufacture enough vaccine to cover both the Swine Flu and the normal, upcoming flu season ahead of us. And health officials do not want to try to concoct vaccines which are untested and which may result in the catastrophy of 1976.
In Other News:
Facebook is weighing in with its own Swine Flu discussion. See the photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=106392&id=20531316728
* Several countries are beginning to debate where and when schools may be closed down to halt a possible spread of Swine Flu. Since infection can happen between 1 and 5 days before any symptoms show up, it is a hard choice to make.
* Schweinegerippe in Deutschland bestätigt aber Erste Zweifel an Gefährlichkeit der Schweinegrippe: http://www.spiegel.de/
* CAIRO (AP) — Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday as a precautionary measure against the spread of swine flu even though no cases have been reported here yet, the Health Ministry said.
* Virus’s Arrival Is Reported on Four Continents: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124090884691363061.html
* Lingo Watch: From Swine Flu to H1N1 Virus (so as not to disrupt the sale of pork)
Issues of our time!
Sometimes, I don’t like the way health rules are being implemented. Yes, swine flu are currently pandemic and we all need to take good care of ourselves. But I think there must be a proper and more acceptable way to overcome these health issues.
the spread of AH1N1 or Swine Flu is really scary. It is a good thing that this virus is not very deadly. We are advised to take Vitamin-C and to wear face masks.