Biomaterial Database

Managing public health risks: the swine flu immunization program revisited. 1978

J E Fielding

In this Comment, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health views the federal government's 1976-77 Swine Flu Immunization Program, which was sharply criticized by Dr. Cyril Wecht in a recent Article in this journal, as a classic example of a public policy decision made under conditions of stress and uncertainty. Once the responsible government officials had made a public commitment to immunize the entire populace of the United States, he contends, they found it very difficult to reformulate the program in response to changing information concerning its relative costs and benefits. Dr Fielding offers suggestions for avoiding in the future some of the problems that surrounded the Swine Flu Program and for preventing further erosion of public confidence in essential preventive medicine programs.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007251	Influenza, Human	An acute viral infection in humans involving the respiratory tract. It is marked by inflammation of the NASAL MUCOSA; the PHARYNX; and conjunctiva, and by headache and severe, often generalized, myalgia.	Grippe,Human Flu,Human Influenza,Influenza in Humans,Influenza,Flu, Human,Human Influenzas,Influenza in Human,Influenzas,Influenzas, Human
D007252	Influenza Vaccines	Vaccines used to prevent infection by viruses in the family ORTHOMYXOVIRIDAE. It includes both killed and attenuated vaccines. The composition of the vaccines is changed each year in response to antigenic shifts and changes in prevalence of influenza virus strains. The flu vaccines may be mono- or multi-valent, which contains one or more ALPHAINFLUENZAVIRUS and BETAINFLUENZAVIRUS strains.	Flu Vaccine,Influenzavirus Vaccine,Monovalent Influenza Vaccine,Universal Flu Vaccine,Universal Influenza Vaccine,Flu Vaccines,High-Dose Trivalent Influenza Vaccine,Influenza Vaccine,Influenza Virus Vaccine,Influenza Virus Vaccines,Influenzavirus Vaccines,Intranasal Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccine,LAIV Vaccine,Monovalent Influenza Vaccines,Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine,Trivalent Influenza Vaccine,Trivalent Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine,Universal Flu Vaccines,Universal Influenza Vaccines,Flu Vaccine, Universal,High Dose Trivalent Influenza Vaccine,Influenza Vaccine, Monovalent,Influenza Vaccine, Quadrivalent,Influenza Vaccine, Trivalent,Influenza Vaccine, Universal,Intranasal Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine,Vaccine, Flu,Vaccine, Influenza,Vaccine, Influenza Virus,Vaccine, Influenzavirus,Vaccine, LAIV,Vaccine, Monovalent Influenza,Vaccine, Quadrivalent Influenza,Vaccine, Trivalent Influenza,Virus Vaccine, Influenza
D009980	Influenza A virus	The type species of the genus ALPHAINFLUENZAVIRUS that causes influenza and other diseases in humans and animals. Antigenic variation occurs frequently between strains, allowing classification into subtypes and variants. Transmission is usually by aerosol (human and most non-aquatic hosts) or waterborne (ducks). Infected birds shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces.	Alphainfluenzavirus influenzae,Avian Orthomyxovirus Type A,FLUAV,Fowl Plague Virus,Human Influenza A Virus,Influenza Virus Type A,Influenza Viruses Type A,Myxovirus influenzae-A hominis,Myxovirus influenzae-A suis,Myxovirus pestis galli,Orthomyxovirus Type A,Orthomyxovirus Type A, Avian,Orthomyxovirus Type A, Human,Orthomyxovirus Type A, Porcine,Pestis galli Myxovirus,Fowl Plague Viruses,Influenza A viruses,Myxovirus influenzae A hominis,Myxovirus influenzae A suis,Myxovirus, Pestis galli,Myxoviruses, Pestis galli,Pestis galli Myxoviruses,Plague Virus, Fowl,Virus, Fowl Plague
D011635	Public Health Administration	Management of public health organizations or agencies.	Administration, Public Health
D003657	Decision Making	The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea.	Credit Assignment,Assignment, Credit,Assignments, Credit,Credit Assignments
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012306	Risk	The probability that an event will occur. It encompasses a variety of measures of the probability of a generally unfavorable outcome.	Relative Risk,Relative Risks,Risk, Relative,Risks,Risks, Relative
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D014611	Vaccination	Administration of vaccines to stimulate the host's immune response. This includes any preparation intended for active immunological prophylaxis.	Immunization, Active,Active Immunization,Active Immunizations,Immunizations, Active,Vaccinations