Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It

by Gina Kolata

Suppose there was an influenza pandemic, the meeting participant said. An immunization program was an almost certain invitation to disaster. Those who had been unable to get the flu shots in time would be angry because they would be vulnerable. Those who were immunized but who caught another virus that they thought was the flu would be annoyed because they would assume that the vaccine did not work. All in all, millions of people would be upset. Yes, a repeat of 1918 was unlikely. But, the participant said. “who could be sure?” And if it happened, “it would wreck us.” Then take the other side of the argument, supposing there was no pandemic. Then, the staff member said, the Centers for Disease Control could be accused of wasting money, of “crying wolf,” he said. Everyone, from the people who got the shots to those who administered them, would criticize the agency. “It was a no-win situation,” the participant concluded. The final decision on March 9 was predictable, however. These, after all, were people whose mission it was to protect public health and prevent disease. “Better a vaccine without an epidemic than an epidemic without a vaccine,” Kilbourne said.