Asian flu

Lynn Poole provides a brief history of the origins and transmission of influenza. Dr. Charlotte Silverman, chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Maryland Department of Health, describes the production and activities of antibodies and the 1957 vaccination program, citing Dr. Maurice Hellerman at the Walter Reed Hospital as the person who identified the new type A strain of the Asian flu virus. She also explains the international character of the flu, which can cause epidemics and pandemics, such as the Spanish influenza outbreak of 1918-19, during which 25 million died. A film shows the work of the World Influenza Center in London where flu strains are collected and studied. Another film clip illustrates how Asian influenza virus vaccines are made in hens' eggs. Dr. Silverman describes how viewers can protect themselves and lessen spreading the virus. Finally, Dr. Silverman describes symptoms of the flu and offers suggestions for treatment of it.