bienvenue, Paris
I’m still sick.
With all this scare about swine flu, I’ve been doing a lot of research about disease. I know I don’t have the virus, and it’s just a travel bug, but the idea of a pandemic has drowned my poor drowsy mind, and so I lie in bed for hours clicking through the internet and reading about death.
I’ll share some interesting history about the 1976 U.S. outbreak of swine flu.
In February of 1976, an army officer died from swine flu, and it was discovered his strain was linked to the strain involved in the 1918 flu pandemic. Yet another strain was uncovered in the U.S. during surveillance. Public-health officials warned President Ford that the U.S. should be vaccinated, in order to protect them from another major pandemic. In October, the program began and 24% of the population was vaccinated; the same day, three senior citizens died after receiving the shots. The public was strongly displeased and linked their deaths with the vaccine. Apparently, there was evidence of GB syndrome, which affects people who received the swine flu immunizations; it’s a rare side-effect with a rate of one per million vaccinations. Yet, the public resisted, and by the end of 1976, less than 33% had been immunized. Overall, there were about 500 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), resulting in death for 25 people. The vaccine killed more Americans than the disease did.
On a happier note, I can see Paris out my window. Soon, I hope, I’ll be able to get out of this ill room.
