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US dodged a bird flu pandemic in 1957 thanks to eggs and dumb luck – with a new strain spreading fast, will Americans get lucky again?

The Conversation
Summary
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84% Informative

Maurice Hilleman was born a year after the 1918 influenza pandemic, killing 20 million to 100 million people.

By 1957 , an expert in influenza feared a pandemic similar to that of 1918 could easily erupt, killing millions again.

Each year , the virus mutates slightly in a process called antigenic drift, and the greater the mutation, the less likely that your immune system will recognize and fight back against the disease.

In the spring of 1957 , the government called for vaccine manufacturers to accelerate production of a new influenza vaccine for all Americans .

The 1957 pandemic left a lasting legacy in how public health experts think about and plan for future outbreaks.

In 1968 , a shift once again caused a pandemic. In 1976 and 2009 , concerns that the virus had shifted led to fears that a new pandemic loomed.

The virus’s unpredictability makes it impossible to know even today how it will mutate and when it will emerge.

VR Score

90

Informative language

91

Neutral language

40

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

57

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

detected

Time-value

medium-lived

External references

30

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