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| The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the swine flu itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called ] or GBS. | The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the swine flu itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called ] or GBS. | ||
| ==Publications== | |||
| *1977. ''Swine Flu Expose'' by ] | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 19:29, 4 January 2006
Swine Flu is a form of Type A influenza that is normally virulent only in pigs. Type A is also known as avian influenza, because birds are asymptomatic carriers. Varieties of influenza virus A that affect swine include H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2. A H1N1 shift crossed over to humans in the early part of the 20th century, causing the Spanish Flu pandemic, which killed up to 50 million people. The death toll was particularly high among young, healthy adults.
The U.S. swine flu scare of 1976
In 1976, a swine flu scare provided the biggest embarrassment of US President Gerald Ford's administration. In January 1976, Gerald R. Ford was vaccinated in front of press cameras. On February 5 an army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. He died the next day and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death. A number of others vaccinated became paralysed. Many began to fear for President Ford's life and health.
Despite the fact that only one person died, alarmed public health officials decided that action must be taken to head off a major pandemic and they urged that every person in the United States be vaccinated for the disease. The vaccination program was plagued by delays and public relations problems but about 24 percent of the population was vaccinated by the time the program was cancelled.
The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the swine flu itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS.
Publications
- 1977. Swine Flu Expose by Eleanor McBean
External links
- The Sky is Falling: An Analysis of the Swine Flu Affair of 1976
- Swine Diseases (Chest) - Swine Influenza, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
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