# 4522
Long ago, and in a galaxy far, far away . . . I was part of a national effort to immunize the country against a feared swine flu pandemic. The year was 1976, and after a disastrous vaccination campaign that saw 40 million Americans get vaccinated, the pandemic (thankfully) never materialized.
I’ve written about those events several times, including Deja Flu, All Over Again.
Now it seems that the much-maligned swine flu vaccination of 1976 may be responsible for an enhanced immune response in some individuals against the 2009 novel H1N1 virus.
This press release from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Study Links 1976 'Swine Flu' Shot to Stronger Immune Response to 21st Century Pandemic Flu
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital staff helps investigators gauge the lingering impact of the 1976 vaccine
MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New evidence shows immunization against "swine flu" in 1976 might provide individuals with some protection against the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, according to new research from St. Jude investigators.
Researchers found that individuals who reported receiving the 1976 vaccine mounted an enhanced immune response against both the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus and a different H1N1 flu strain that circulated during the 2008-09 flu season. The work appears in the April 23 online issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
"Our research shows that while immunity among those vaccinated in 1976 has waned somewhat, they mounted a much stronger immune response against the current pandemic H1N1 strain than others who did not receive the 1976 vaccine," said Jonathan A. McCullers, M.D., an associate member of the St. Jude Infectious Diseases Department and the study's lead author.
McCullers said it is unclear if the response was enough to protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus, but the study points to a lingering benefit. The findings also raise hope that those vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic strain might also enjoy a similar long-term advantage.
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