When Pigs Fly
The History, Treatment and Social Response to Swine Flu
and Other Infectious Diseases
Group A: Brown, Canning, Carter
How Influenza “Flew” Through Time
In 465 BC Hippocrates first described flu like symptoms that he observed in his patients. Since then it’s
been a seasonal battle between humans and the influenza. The flu’s capability to mutate through
transgenic shift makes the disease a potential threat to human life each year. There have been four
recorded flu pandemics to date in history. A disease is classified as a pandemic when it spreads
worldwide causing disease and death everywhere it hits. An epidemic on the other hand is a more
contained spread of disease; it stays in one region of the globe. The influenza virus is constantly
changing in the arms race against modern health improvements. A recent study revealed that there are
at least 500 varieties of the influenza virus with more emerging all the time. Influenza is unpredictable, it
has advanced beyond our means of fighting it in the past, and the threat looms for this to happen again
in the future.
Flu Pandemics
1918 Spanish Flu
-H1N1
-Killed up to 100 million worldwide
-500 million infected, which was 1/3 of the world population
-Lowered life expectancy in the US by 12 years
-“If the epidemic continues its mathematical rate of acceleration, civilization could easily disappear
from the face of the earth within a few weeks” – US Surgeon General Victor Vaughan (1918)
1957-58 Asian Flu
-1-4 million deaths
-70,000 deaths in United States
-Vaccine came out in August 1957
Age Distribution of Deaths Caused by 1918 Flu Worldwide
Social Reponses and the Role of Media
Vaccines work by injecting a small amount
of the virus into the body, which triggers an
Immune response. The body then produces
lymphocytes, which recognize and attack
viral DNA.
The media’s level of response to an outbreak greatly influences public sentiment and, by
extension, public policy in response to a virus. The media can play an important role in
protecting the public by distributing accurate and relevant information, help foster a sense of
panic that could ultimately cause more unrest than appropriate, or prevent the public from
responding adequately by downplaying an actual threat. Following the recent outbreak of the
H1N1 virus, many people believe the media coverage of the outbreak elevated public anxiety to
unnecessary levels.
Swine Flu Vaccine
Source: Conant Medical Group
Vaccine Production ProcessVaccines are typically made using chicken eggs, but some can be made with hen’s
eggs or yeast cells. A company called Protein Sciences in Meriden, CT uses insect
cells instead of eggs, because they are quicker and safer. The bits of virus that are
used need to be kept frozen, to prevent their intensities from changing. When they
are needed, they are warmed up in a water bath or at room temperature. They are
added to a machine to help them multiply. When the vaccine is finished growing in
whatever substance it is in, it is removed and mixed together, because they are
usually made in separate parts.
Allergy Concerns:
Vaccines that are made in eggs are clearly a concern to people with egg allergies.
Though surprisingly few people that are allergic to eggs are actually allergic to the
vaccines made in them.
In the 1980’s, the public relied on print media for information about AIDS in the United States.
However, during recent swine flu outbreak, the public learned about the virus and its spread
through a myriad of sources, including many internet-based media such as online databases,
blogs, Facebook, and even Twitter.
CDC’s Twitter update on September 4rth, 2009:
“ RT @CDCFlu Update 9/4/09: 9,079 hospitalized cases of
novel H1N1 flu, 593 deaths, 53 states/territories reporting:
http://is.gd/2SUMb” h
Source: htp://twitter.com/CDCEmergency
An excerpt from Metro, a London daily newspaper, on April 26th, 2009:
“The sudden rise of swine flu may trigger a pandemic that could wipe out 120million
people, an expert has warned. More than 80 people are now thought to have died as the first
scare hit Britain. The death toll of the H1N1 virus could reach 50million – as high as the Spanish
Flu of 1918, according to John McCauley, of the National Institute For Medical Research.”
Source: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/635961-swine-flu-could-kill-up-to-120m
Drug Companies:
GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and Wyeth Biotech are two large vaccine
manufacturers.
1968-69 Hong Kong Flu
-1 million deaths
-Similar to Asian Flu
-Killed 34,000 in United States
-Came to US through Vietnam War
2009-10 Swine Flu
-H1N1
-Still Occurring
-16,455 deaths
-213 countries have reported cases
-Striking similarities to Spanish Flu
Modern Flu Treatments
Source: CDC.gov
Influenza has been one of the world’s greatest all time killers. When a deadly strain emerges it has
the capability of killing healthy adults in a matter of hours. The Spanish Flu created ghost towns, only
to fade away as all of those who were vulnerable to the disease were killed. Influenza has the
capability to infect horses, birds, pigs, and humans. This allows for many different variations to form,
with the potential for harming humans increasing. Science and medicine have been able to suppress
a repeat of the devastating affects of the Spanish Flu so far, but the chance always exists for the flu
to mutate into a form that extracts enormous tolls from human life before a vaccine can be created.
Age Distribution of Deaths Caused by 2009-10 Swine Flu in US
Scientists:
Jonas Salk attended New York University to study medicine. In 1938 he began
studying the influenza virus with Thomas Francis Jr., a microbiologist, and together
they made an influenza vaccine for American soldiers during World War II. In 1947,
Salk became head of research at the University of Pittsburgh’s Virus Research Lab,
where he worked on a flu vaccine and polio vaccine simultaneously. He developed a
polio vaccine in 1952, which he tested on himself, his family, and other volunteers. It
was cleared for public use when none of these people showed negative side effects.
An oral form of the same vaccine, developed by Albert Sabin, soon replaced Salk’s
treatment method.
Safety Concerns:
Vaccines are relatively safe, and are certainly preferable to the diseases which they
prevent. One in three people will get a sore arm, with redness and swelling, about an
hour after injection. 10 to 15% of patients will incur tiredness, headache, or fever from
injection. In rare cases, about 1 or 2 out of a million, people can contract GuillainBarré syndrome (GBS), a serious neurological reaction.
Swine Flu:
There was an initial outbreak of Swine Flu in 1976, which was confined to a military
base. The vaccine available then was not safe, as it caused an increased risk of the
serious neurological reaction, GBS, mentioned above. When Swine came back
recently, it took less than 4 months to become a world wide pandemic. The H1N1
vaccine comes in three forms: a Nasal spray called FluMist, a single-vial injection,
and multi-vial injections. The first two treatments are preferable to the third, because
the multi-shot injections contain Thimerasol, which is partially composed of ethyl
mercury. Though this is less toxic than other forms of mercury, it is still not desirable
to have in ones’ body. The Thimerasol is added to prevent bacterial contamination in
the vials.
Media Imagery
Images, often used in contemporary news media, are
sometimes more influential than written word. This image of
President Obama wearing a mask in campaign poster
suggests protecting oneself from the H1N1 virus is patriotic.
Source: http://littlemountainhomeopathy.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/obama-h1n1.jpg
Over-Reporting Past Outbreaks:
In 2003, the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), gained international
media attention. Most studies evaluating the media’s performance during the SARS outbreak
determined the media coverage was excessive, sensationalist, and sometimes inaccurate
(Bergeron and Sanchez, 2005).
Using the media, the World Health Organization
(WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) brought
attention to a few cases in the United States and the worstcase scenarios regarding the spread SARS. The WHO and
CDC’s use of the media cultivated a sense of fear among the
public and caused governments to enact large-scale
quarantines and travel bans. However, the WHO, CDC and
media’s response had arguably more detrimental effects on
society than the virus itself; it paralyzed economies, brought
attention away from the spread of more threatening diseases,
such as Aids and malaria, and unnecessarily increased the
public’s sense of risk. As of July 2003, SARS had infected
only 8,400 people and caused the death of 774 people
worldwide. In the United States experienced only 33
probable cases and no confirmed deaths (Siegel , 2005).
Source: Newsweek Archives
Bibliography
Source: cdc.gov
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