Extinction. While sometimes these wars have been, well, theyve been catastrophic. There was the catastrophe of 1918, when an influenza epidemic swept through our own nation as well as the entire world. Unlike the battles of nation against nation, or humanity against the forces of nature when man has often had the opportunity to prepare himself, the battles against disease throughout the centuries have found men in the unfortunate position of having to combat this enemy only after it had infiltrated his community and infected much of the population. Recently, you have become aware of a pandemic, or a worldwide epidemic which originated in the far east and is now known as asian influenza. Because of the alertness and efficiency of the United States Public Health service, and the world health organization, a detection system similar to that of the aircraft spotting have been established throughout the world and has enabled us to recognize and follow the progress of asian influenza as it circles the globe. Health authorities expect an outbreak this fall and winter in the United States, but not in such portions as in the 1918 epidemic. Now the man upon whose shoulders rest the responsibility for preparing the United States for the impending battle against asian influenza, is the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health service. Dr. Burney, i imagine you and your staff have been gathering a tremendous amount of material on asian flu. Seems to me that everyone i know has talked about influenza, but i dont think anybody knows what it is. Dr. Burney carl, it is one of the upper respiratory infections like a cold, only caused by the flu virus, and the difference between the asian influenza and the influenza we have been having all of these past few years is that this strain of the virus began in hong kong and spread from hong kong to the rest of the world, including the United States. Carl well, every year, influenza is a problem in our communities and im sure it is in yours, too. Why are we also suddenly concerned about it now . Dr. Burney thats a very good question. We are concerned because in the other countries in which it has appeared, and even in the outbreaks we have had so far in this country, the attack rate has been 15 to 20 of the population. And this attack rate occurs in four to six weeks. In metropolitan pittsburgh, with approximately one Million People, if we had this flu strike here, you would have approximately 200,000 people who would become ill in a four to six week period. And this, of course, would make a tremendous impact upon the economy of this particular area. Carl thats understandable. Weve all heard of outbreaks here in this country, dr. Burney. Exactly how far has it spread . Dr. Burney it spread all over the United States. The first cases occurred on the east coast rather than on the west coast among Navy Personnel in newport, rhode island. The second occurred in navy and civilian personnel in san diego. Since that time, of course, which was about the first of june, it has spread in localized outbreaks through the boy Scout Jamboree in pennsylvania, to louisiana, and almost all of the states in the United States. Carl i didnt realize that was asian flu that hit our own jamboree in our own state. Dr. Burney it was. Carl from what i have been able to learn, not many people have died as a result of asian flu in other parts of the world. Do you think the same will hold true here in the United States . Dr. Burney we have the belief now based upon the experience of asian influenza in other countries, south america at the present time where it is at epidemic proportions and as a result of the outbreaks in this country so far, that it is a mild infection with a very low mortality rate, and we believe it will continue to be both a mild infection and have a very low death rate. Carl is there the possibility asian flu might turn into, if i may use the word, a killer . Dr. Burney that is a possibility, of course, and that has happened in preceding years, when we had epidemics, like in 1888 when we had a large epidemic, and then many of us recall the 1918 1919 epidemic when we had a mild influenza epidemic in the spring of 1918. And then in the fall, we had a large outbreak of very virulent influenza followed by serious complications. And then another wave hit us in february or march of 1919. At that time, as you may recall, in that whole period, we had about 20 million cases in the United States and about 850,000 deaths. But i would like to add that conditions are quite different now than they were then. In the first place, we had a mild strain of influenza, not a virulent strain. In the second place, we have the antibiotics to combat any complications that might arise, which we did not have in 1919. Carl well, doctor, with the disease spreading so rapidly, what exactly now are we doing to combat it . Dr. Burney actually, carl, we are trying to do three things. One is to develop as rapidly as possible the only preventative agent we have against influenza and that is the vaccine against this particular strain. That is being done in six of the large pharmaceutical manufacturers of this country. The strain was elected by an alert u. S. Medical team in tokyo and sent it back to this country and given to the u. S. Public health service. We distributed is to the manufacturers and they began to manufacture the vaccine before we had had the first case in this country. So now, our job is to get more of that vaccine available and to get the public to use it. Number two, we have to be prepared to take care of the individuals who become ill. And we have been working since early june with the American Medical Association, the American Hospital association, state health officers, voluntary groups, and others, to prepare for taking care of those who become ill. And finally, the matter of having an alert and an informed public. One who will be aware of the facts without being unduly alarmed. And certainly this program of the Westinghouse Broadcasting company is a good example to have an alert, but not an alarmed public. Carl well, you and your Public Health service crew, if i can use that word, crew, have certainly seemed to make Great Strides in order to get us ready for this possible epidemic in such a short time. Dr. Burney well, weve had a lot of help, i can assure you, in doing this. It hasnt been a one man or a one organization show. I said previously, we have had the full cooperation of the American Medical Association in both the educational as well as the medical care part, and then in working with the manufacturers, who manufacture the vaccine and stop other activities and develop their staffs. I think we can all be proud of the industry which we have in this country. It is another example of the knowhow and the expeditious way in which Free Enterprise through our american industry can do a good job. The vaccine for the virus was given to the Industries Middle of may, and within three months, the vaccine was being released to our National Institutes of health as being a safe and effective vaccine. And that seems to me a good example of both teamwork and very expeditious work by the manufacturers. Another example of this teamwork, and to illustrate this isnt a oneman show, is we have with us this evening, dr. James a. Crabtree, an associate dean of the university of pittsburg Public Health, who will help explain how asian influenza spread throughout the world. Carl thank you very much. I am glad dr. Crabtree is here with us today, too. How do you do, dr. Crabtree . We have been discussing the fact that this asian flu has covered a lot of territory in a short time, but i would like to know how did it all get started . Dr. Crabtree the exact point of origin of the influenza virus is of course not known, but the current epidemic had its beginning, as dr. Burney indicated, in hong kong and singapore. This was in early april. By midapril, the disease had become indeed epidemic in both of these cities, and remained so throughout the rest of the month. From hong kong and singapore, the disease rapidly in early may moved to the island of formosa, and here it is estimated as many as half Million People were impacted within a relatively short amount of time. Also within the month of may, it next made its appearance in borneo and japan. And from the major shipping centers from these several areas, the disease very rapidly scattered into widely separated places as malaya, indonesia, india, guam, and the philippines. The first cases, also in late may, the disease was reported as far away as australia, and on board several ships en route from australia to San Francisco. The first appearance of the disease in the United States was on june 2. This date is important, because it means only a short six weeks from the time the first cases were reported in china, they occurred in the United States. This indicates the great rapidity with which influenza and influenzalike diseases can spread over the world. By midjune, this disease had practically circled the globe, including southeast asia, southwest asia, the middle east, europe, australia, and north america. Late in june, the disease made its appearance in north africa, introduced probably by the muslims returning from their pilgrimages to mecca. So that finally in late july in early july, the disease made its appearance in chile, in south america. So in three short months, every continent on the globe had been involved in this great pandemic. Carl dr. Crabtree, you mentioned that it had been reported on ships en route to San Francisco and that several cases were definitely diagnosed among our fleet at newport, rhode island. Wouldnt it have been comparatively simple to have isolated these known cases and prevented the spreading of them and kept them from coming in at all . Dr. Crabtree unfortunately, not so simple, for the reason that quarantine against influenza is not effective. Had it been possible for all of the cases on board the ships to have been isolated, it would have had little effect on the actual spread of disease because undoubtedly there were many more people on board these same ships who by reason of a more recently acquired infection would have shown no symptoms whatever of the disease and, therefore, they could not have been readily identified if they were passing through a quarantine station. Carl i see. Well dr. Burney mentioned we had approximately 25,000 known cases in this nation. Are they all bunched in one area of the United States or has the virus spread all over . Dr. Crabtree the virus has spread all over. We have some maps here in the studio that the Television Audience can see, which graphically shows how the disease has spread in the United States, starting from newport, rhode island, and the west coast. During the month of june, the disease had spread to salt lake city, utah, to iowa, cleveland, ohio, and a few cases along the east coast. If we could have the map showing the spread in july, we see that the disease, starting from these original centers, has literally moved in practically every direction throughout the country. Then, the final map sort of speaks for itself in that it indicates that this virus has become very well seeded in every state in the country, certainly in every major region of the country. Carl well, i think ive got a pretty that idea of how influenza spreads, dr. Crabtree, but im still wondering about the virus itself. What kind of an animal is it . Dr. Crabtree carl, id like to present to you one of our staff from the National Institutes of health, dr. Davis, the associate director of our National Institute of allergy and Infectious Diseases, and ask him to answer this question and then any other scientific questions you may have. Carl dr. Davis, awfully nice to have you come and see us tonight. I will ask what seems like a silly question, but what is this virus like . What is this virus . Dr. Davis well, to begin with, influenza is the specific disease caused by a specific virus. This virus was first isolated in 1931 by the Rockefeller Institute and subsequently in 1933, it was shown as a human disease by british scientists. Now we know that there are three Major Classifications of virus. Types a, b, and c. And more recently, a new type, a fourth type, d, has been described in japan. Carl this a, b, c, and d. If this fourth type, the d type, is that the asian flu . Thats what confuses me, the a, b, and c. Dr. Davis typea influenza is the influenza which commonly causes epidemics and pandemics at intervals throughout the recent years. The asian type of virus is a typea and it causes the kinds of disease which we have had in recent years. However, the antigenic composition of this asian type is different from that which we have described in the more recent strains, so that a person who is immune to the older strains is probably not immune to this new strain, and thus, the vaccines, which have developed in recent years by dr. Francis and others, have probably no effect on this invader from asia. Carl i guess this is one of the reasons i never get into medical school. So, a new vaccine has to be made each time a new strain comes along . That is correct, is it . I mean, that explains why we dont have the vaccine in stock . Dr. Davis that is right. Carl i think everyone has been hearing the good deal about the asian flu story, but will a person know if they have asian flu . If so, how . Dr. Davis i think you will know. Sometimes, it is a little difficult to diagnose it because the symptoms maybe are similar to other respiratory viruses or respiratory bacteria. So, to be absolutely certain, we must use Laboratory Methods to make a specific diagnosis. These are generally two kinds. One is the actual isolation of the virus, and the second is the demonstration of antibodies which appear in the blood of the person who has the disease. Now, this often takes a little time and it really doesnt help the patients position very much, but it is important for us to know what kind of disease is prevalent in the community and to discover what the type is and follow its course. Carl i see. Naturally the thing most people are concerned about is the vaccine, first of all, and particularly how it works in the system. It seems to me that being made from real asian influenza virus, wouldnt there be some danger in being vaccinated . Dr. Davis no, there is no danger at all. The vaccine is completely killed during the process of being prepared. The vaccine is made by injecting the virus into fertile chicken eggs, where the virus grows, and then by processing the fluids, the vaccine is made by the manufacturers. It requires about 40 days to manufacture and to test the vaccine. Carl i see. Well, dr. Burney, i can breathe a lot easier knowing how the vaccine is made and that there is not any live virus in it. And im certainly impressed with the way your Public Health operates. I mentioned that to you before, but i want to impress that upon the viewers. Up until now, i think you have given me and the rest of the audience a complete picture of the asian flu. Dr. Burney well, i really doubt weve given a complete picture because we left out one of the most important groups of our total team in meeting the challenge obviously of asian influenza, and that is the American Medical Association, which represents the physicians throughout our entire country. We have worked with them from the beginning of this and have had complete support and understanding from that group, and i would like to present to you here now the secretary, general manager of the American Medical Association, dr. George lowe. Carl thank you again. Pleasure to have you coming here. I believe your home port would be chicago. Dr. Lowe thats right. Carl can you explain a little more about this possible flu epidemic . Dr. Lowe in planning for a possible epidemic, the medical profession has three responsibilities. Keeping the doctors informed on the progress of the disease, spearheading the mobilization of all medical personnel who will be concerned with caring for the sick, and informing the public on what to do once the virus has struck. The doctors are being informed about asian influenza through our weekly journal and through many scientific periodicals published by the various states and county medical societies. They are being encouraged to cooperate with the Public Health service in detecting the presence of the virus and spread from community to community. They are being provided with late reports on the technical aspects of the disease and with instructions regarding the administration of the vaccine. The American Medical Association has asked every local medical society to organize a committee of those who would be involved in an epidemic so that an agreement can be reached in advance on such matters as vaccine priority, the handling of transients, hospital admission procedures and so forth. And if in a pandemic does strike, the medical profession will use every means of communication possible. Pamphlets, newspapers, radio, and television, to tell the general public what to do. It is important, we feel, that families know the symptoms of the disease and the basic points to follow in the home care of a flu victim. Carl what are the symptoms . Dr. Lowe well, the asian influenza is characterized by rapid onset high as 104 degrees, headache, sore throat, aching muscles, and extreme weakness. The recognition of symptoms is of course important early in an epidemic. Once the asian flu takes hold in a community, why, youll know what it is without checking the symptoms. Carl when you do get asian flu, doctor, how do you care for it at home . Dr. Lowe ideally, your doctor should be called and his instructions followed. However, in an epidemic situation, he may not be able to give your case his complete attention. In that event, these are things to remember. First, keep away from others. Second, go to bed. Third, drink a lot of fluids, water and fruit juices. And fourth, if your doctor recommends it, take a fever reducing agent. And fifth, call your doctor if any unusual symptoms develop. Carl what do you mean by unusual symptoms . Dr. Lowe well, primarily those that would indicate the onset of some lung involvement. A heavy cough, rapid breathing, blueness of the lips. Carl i see. Will thank you very much, dr. Lowe. And now, i will ask dr. Burney if you would summarize our discussion. Dr. Burney this fall and winter, we may see serious outbreaks of influenza in the United States as a consequence of the epidemic which began last april in the far east. Unlike similar instances in the past, however, we believe the size and severity of the epidemic can be minimized in this country. That is the opinion of experts, that there is no need for hysteria or panic. The influenza is concerned in the first place, we are prepared for the invasion, and in the second place, we now have the means to a new vaccine to help prevent this influenza. Perhaps the story infection by influenza virus can best be summarized in this manner. There is a pandemic, a worldwide epidemic of asian influenza which has attacked most of the nations of the world. Laboratory tests have shown that it definitely has reached the United States, attacking both military and civilian personnel. The virus causing this influenza has been isolated and recognized as a member of the familiar typea virus. A vaccine has been developed as a preventive, and is in production by six pharmaceutical houses in this country. At the present time, asian influenza can best be classified as a mild virus disease which attacks many people, but has a very low death rate. Experts say that it is probable that an epidemic will occur in this nation sometime between late fall and early winter. For the first time in history, a nation, our own United States, is in the fortunate position of being ahead of an impending epidemic, and thus has had the time to organize for an allout offensive against asian influenza. There is always the possibility of an increase in virulence, of the infection, as the epidemic increases. However, the new vaccine has been proven effective in controlled studies conducted by the military and should be an excellent weapon to combat the disease if the epidemic progresses. When the vaccine is made available for public use, the Public Health service and the American Medical Association hope that the nation as a whole will participate in a voluntary program of vaccinations against the prevalence of this influenza. Rest assured that there is no need for alarm, panic, or hysteria. If there is a change in the situation, you will be informed immediately through the Public Education channels, of your American Medical Association, the Public Health service, and state and Territorial Health officers. This program, by the way, which is the result of the combined efforts of organized medicine, private industry, and education, is an excellent example of the type of Public Information and education we are setting up. In closing, i would like to urge you to make use of the new vaccine when it becomes available, knowing meanwhile that you will cooperate with the medical profession and the Public Health authorities if it becomes necessary to set up priorities for those groups responsible for Public Welfare and safety, and who must continue their Important Services if others of us are temporarily incapacitated by asian influenza. Carl dr. Burney, im sure i speak for all who have been with us during this program when i say how much we appreciate all of you gentlemen taking your valuable time to come here so that we might be better informed on asian flu and what is being done about it. Participants on tonights show have been dr. Leroy e. Burney, Surgeon General of the United States Public Health service, dr. James a. Crabtree, associate dean of the university of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, dr. Dolan j. Davis, associate director of research at the National Institute of allergy and Infectious Diseases, United States Public Health services. Dr. George f. Lowe, secretary and general manager of the American Medical Association. The silent invader was written by tom colon, produced by roger wolf, directed by jack simon, Script Research by rose marie scoffyellow, and kay mcdonough. The silent invader has been brought to you as a Public Service by the Westinghouse Broadcasting company in cooperation with the American Medical Association, the Public Health service of the u. S. Department of Health Education and welfare, and the university of Pittsburgh Health center. Announcer this is American History tv featuring events, interviews, archival films, and visits to college classrooms, museums, and historic places. Exploring our nations past every weekend on cspan3. On lecturesnight in history, we visit the classroom of professor nicole myersturner who teaches about enslaved of formerly African Americans following emancipation. What does it mean to be free . One of the key areas that we heard from garrison fraser, what do free people want . Land. They want to be independent, and land was an important part of it. They wanted control of their own labor, fruits of their own labor. One way we get a look at what free people wanted was a look at now the pretty famous letter of a formerly enslaved man named Jordan Anderson writing to his enslaver inlaver response to his request that he returned to the plantation he left from and return to work. Very memorably challenges the former enslaver about the way he treated him, the violence he visited upon him and his family. He said basically in dayton, ohio he is able to work and get paid every week. His wife is able to be respected and called by her name as misses anderson. He calculates how much money he would get in back pay if his pay himnslaver were to the hourly wage he gets now for the years of service he had done without pay, if you would compensate mandy for her labor as well, and taxed the amount of care for any metered out to him while he was enslaved. He estimated the amount would be 11,000 dollars. A pretty significant amount. He said if you are willing to pay me that and guarantee other things, we will come back. He is having his moment of, im not doing that. Letting the former enslaver know these are with the wages are, i want to be compensated for my labor, i want to be respected for what i do. More tonight at 8 00 p. M. Eastern here on American History tv. Q and a, he has been on the front lines as a prominent member of the Coronavirus Task force. When you deal with the interface of politics, policy, and medicine what i have found to be effective is to be consistent, be totally honest, and dont tell people things that you think they might want to hear. Tell them the truth that is based on evidence. Inn though politics the administration or congress may not be happy with what you tell them because it disappoints them, they will respect you if after a while it is clear to them that you are telling them the truth based on scientific evidence. Profile dr. E will anthony fauci, director of the National Institute of allergy and Infectious Diseases, looking at his personal life, his relationships with past president s, and his career writing Infectious Diseases hiv, sars, each, and now the global coronavirus pandemic. Announcer claire evans is the author of broad band the untold story of the women who made the internet. She discusses the extensive 20th century contributions of women to the development of computer technology. This event was part of the university of Mary Washingtons great lives series. Mr. Crawley now, in addition before introducing tonights speaker, i would like to publicly express appreciation to this evening sponsor, Teresa Crawley dds. [applause] hey, no, dont. Dont get carried away. Shell you know. [laughter]
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