1976. Gerald Ford is leading our nation. Swine flu is detected in the populace. Panic! A history in NYT headlines:
February 20, 1976:" U.S. Calls Flu Alert On Possible Return Of Epidemic's Virus; U.S. FLU ALERT SET ON EPIDEMIC VIRUS"
Sounds familiar!
March 25, 1976: "Ford Urges Flu Campaign To Inoculate Entire U.S.; He Will Ask Congress for $135 Million to Make Vaccine for a New Virus to Avert Fall and Winter Epidemics Ford Urges U.S. Flu Campaign To Inoculate Entire Population"
Bold Action!
April 10, 1976: "$135 Million Voted By Senate to Fund Flu Immunization"
Unquestioning political acquiescence!
May 21, 1976: "Race for a Swine Flu Vaccine Began; In a Manhattan Lab Race to Develop Swine Flu Vaccine Began in a Manhattan Lab"
Feature stories!
June 9, 1976: "Experts in Europe Question U.S. Plan For Mass Flu Shots; Europeans Question U.S. Flu-Shot Plan"
Europe: Always trying to disrupt America's bold actions with "science." Shut up, Europe!
October 13, 1976: "SWINE FLU PROGRAM IS HALTED IN 9 STATES AS 3 DIE AFTER SHOTS; DEATHS OCCUR IN PITTSBURGH But No Evidence is Found That Fatalities Among Elderly Were a Result of Vaccinations States Halt Swine Flu Program as 3 Die After Shots"
The bold action has backfired!November 24, 1976: "Swine Flu Victim, Back on Job, Asserts Regular Flu Was Worse"
The problem wasn't that bad in the first place!
December 17, 1976: "SWINE FLU PROGRAM SUSPENDED IN NATION; DISEASE LINK FEARED; 94 CASES OF PARALYSIS CITED U.S. Aides Act Because of Concern That Shots May Be Connected to Guillain-Barre Syndrome"
In fact the cure was worse than the disease!
February 5, 1977: "Swine Flu Program Brings $10.7 Million in Claims; 104 Suits Already Filed Are Viewed as only the First Wave"
The government must pay for its bold action!
November 16, 1978: "Around the Nation; Over $2.64 Billion in Claims Filed in Swine Flu Program"
And pay some more!
October 17, 1980: "$49 Million in Swine Flu Vaccine To Be Destroyed by Government"
And pay some more! The end.
Here's what we have today: 20 confirmed cases of this flu, which has killed nobody here. It'll spread for a while. Okay. There are plenty more deadly diseases already here, killing people every day! Even in Mexico, the epicenter of the deadly outbreak, and home to a far, far worse health care system than we have, it's only killed 103 people. That's a lot fewer people than have been killed in the Juarez drug war this year. This is a page B-3 story that's gone all A-1.
XXX MAR
(resposted via jezebel by Hamilton Nolan)
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