The Swine Flu Fiasco (CBC Report, 1983)

CBC report from Feb 21, 1983, combining a little bit of fact with a lot of disinformation. In February 1976, a 19-year-old soldier died at Fort Dix, New Jersey, after coming down with a severe case of influenza dubbed the "swine flu". Fearing a return of the fatal 1918 Spanish flu virus, U.S. authorities launched an unprecedented program to vaccinate every man, woman and child in the country. But after two months and tens of million of dollars, the program was scrapped when reports leaked out about adverse reactions to the shot that ranged from temporary paralysis to death. This CBC Television clip looks at the ill-fated initiative, which was blamed for casting suspicion on vaccination efforts for an entire generation. U.S. President Gerald Ford's National Influenza Immunization Program began in Oct. 1 1976, with free vaccination clinics in Indianapolis. Canada followed suit days after, even though no cases of the virus had been detected north of the border. Video uploaded under fair use clause - Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107 - for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting and education. DocumentaryArchive does not own the rights to this video.