Anyone else remember the last swine flu scare?

[elfin]

It was in the 70's. Ford was President and there were emergency vaccinations nation wide. I remember standing in a very long line.

Then, the epidemic never transpired.

Wonder if that past vaccine will help those who got the shot at all, even though this is a different strain.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Yup. I *think* I got the vaccine, but my MD is long gone, so I don't know for sure.

[skooooo]

2. Yep..that was another "swine flu.."

And when it didn't transpire, Ford looked rather hapless.

[OhioChick]

3. I thought the last outbreak was in '88? n/t

[havocmom]

4. I remember that some people had nasty reactions to the swine flu shots back then

My bro helped at shot clinics in southern California. All the EMT and paramedic units were asked to volunteer to give shots. After many bad reactions, my bro felt really bad, thinking he may have given shots that paralyzed some people, He never worked those clinics again.

[Staph]

11. A friend of mine had the swine flu shot back then.

She developed an extreme allergy to all poultry products. If she eats something with even a touch of chicken broth in it, she has to get to an emergency room within 15 minutes or her throat closes. She carries one of those EpiPens with her constantly (to give her that 15 minute window to save her life).

[Ikonoklast]

14. Put a guy I worked with back then in the hospital.

He actually got the flu from the vaccine.

He was off for three weeks, sick as a dog.

[havocmom]

17. bad as that was, he was luckier than many

That was some bad shit shots.

[hedgehog]

5. There has been a lot of discussion about that event over the years.

My impression is that the Ford administration did not listen to good medical advice and declared an epidemic without evidence. There were cases of Guillain- Barre syndrome associated with that particular vaccine. I have no idea if this was normal or peculiar to that particular batch. The entire episode made a lot of people very skeptical about any vaccines.

[uppityperson]

6. I am sure that it would have mutated in the last 30+ yrs

so sorry, it won't help.

[rainbow4321]

7. Yeah, I lived in NJ at the time

I was 11 y/o so I don't recall much but I do remember standing in a really, really long line outside our school while we waited to get the swine flu shot.

[sandnsea]

8. Yep, my ex got the vaccine in the airforce

I decided the vaccine was so bad, why not take your chances with the actual flu.

[MikeNearMcChord]

9. IIRC it came at same time that Legionnaire's Disease first came out

also, for awhile it seem the press mixed both of them together.

[Mz Pip]

10. 1976

I was pregnant with #1 son and remember being a bit freaked out by all the news and possible senarios. This was way before the internet and cable news.

It was well covered at the time.

I couldn't get the shot since I was pregnant. The kid is 32 and maybe we can both get the shot now.

[doc03]

12. I remember it well the program was cancelled

after 40 million people got the vaccine and no flu showed up. It turned out to be a major embarrassment for President Ford. Another example of the Chicken Littles of science proclaimed the sky was falling.

[virgogal]

13. I remember it---no vaccine though,for any of us.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

15. If it was around 1975-1976 that was the last year I had the flu

Man, I was sick as a dog. Stayed in a spare bedroom on a mattress with blankets over the windows for a week. My husband watched the kids and popped in with juice and water occasionally. I didn't even go to the doctor's. Any light hurt my eyes terribly. I never want to get the flu again after that experience! Generally I hardly ever picked up anything back in my younger days. Hope everyone stays healthy!

[stray cat]

16. Isn't it also part avian flu - which does have a significant history of lethality

while the swine part may allow it to be transmitted from human to human. We are lucky in the US that the lethality doesn't appear much different than influenza. Of course each year influenza and pneumonia kill 20,000 to 40,000 people.

[Clear Blue Sky]

18. I remember more people dying from the vaccine than from swine flu...

[customerserviceguy]

19. I remember it

You had to get two vaccinations for it to be considered effective. I got one, then the government announced it was cancelling vaccinations because of side effects that might include death. Here I was, not enough vaccine to be "protected", but probably enough to have a fair shot at getting sick from the vaccine.

That was the day I decided to stop trusting "public health officials" blindly.

[mrcheerful]

20. Yep I kinda remember that Ford failing. Everyone I knew lite up a fat one

and pretty much ignored the whole thing. WTF, one fact of life "your not getting out alive"

[Vidar]

21. Yup, a monumental flash in the pan.