April 28th, 2009 // comments (4)

Flashback: Swine Flu PSAs From The 1970′s

What are we on here? Day six of swine flu mania?

This whole swine flu thing is nothing new. You may know this by now but in 1976 there was a swine flu scare with similar fiasco-status. It all started on February 5, 1976 when a Fort Dix recruit fell ill. He died the next day. In short time, hundreds of his fellow armed service members had the disease. The bad stuff hit the fan at that point. Two weeks later, Gerald Ford rushed through a plan to immunize every American. Pandemonium broke out across the country.

The immunization plan started on October 1, 1976. But almost immediately there were problems with the vaccine. More than 500 people contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome from the shot. GBS paralyzed these people for life and led to the death of more than 25 of them. The plan was a disaster for Ford. He lost a reelection bid the next year to Jimmy Carter.

The point is, the media hyperventilation in 1976 was along the same veins. People were scared. And people are scared today. I just got off a train to downtown Chicago and there were several people covering their mouths. Some were even wearing surgical masks. In 1976, one American (that Fort Dix recruit we talked about) died during the swine flu outbreak. Twenty-five died due to complications from the vaccine. The hype killed more than the threat.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from a vaccine nut. In fact, I think vaccines are very important. Not vaccinating yourself can cause loads of harm to those around you. But the fear mongering and hype the media is pushing goes way beyond what is needed at this time. There have been no deaths in America from swine flu to date. Only a few dozen people have been infected with an easily treatable bout of influenza. Even around the world, only 20 deaths in Mexico have been confirmed to have resulted from swine flu. That number will rise, to be sure. But how much is the fear and chaos costing us now?

Related:

• May 5, 2009 -- First American Dies Of The Swine Flu In Texas
• May 4, 2009 -- Detained In Japan – American Airlines Passengers, Crew Held Over Swine Flu Fears
• May 4, 2009 -- China Is Rounding Up And Detaining Mexican Travelers
• May 1, 2009 -- Plane Diverted After Woman Shows ‘Flu-Like Symptoms’
• April 30, 2009 -- H1N1 Update: Member Of President’s Team Has Swine Flu – Update: False Alarm
• April 29, 2009 -- Patient Zero: The 5-Year-Old Source Of Swine Flu
• April 29, 2009 -- Update: First Swine Flu Casualty Was Mexican Child In Texas
• April 28, 2009 -- Two Recent California Deaths May Be Swine Flu Related – Texas Death Confirmed
• April 27, 2009 -- Israeli Health Minister: Can We Call It Mexican Flu Instead?
• April 27, 2009 -- Obama On Swine Flu: ‘No Cause For Alarm’