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The Fort Dix recruit's corpse forced a rushed 1976 vaccination plan

A dead recruit at Fort Dix in 1976 sparks a rushed national vaccination plan as officials race to stop a possible repeat of the 1918 flu.

The Fort Dix recruit's corpse forced a rushed 1976 vaccination plan

In this episode, we follow how a single fatal case of swine influenza at an Army base led officials to launch an urgent nationwide vaccination effort. The narrative traces the medical, genetic, and institutional steps that turned a laboratory finding into a public-health emergency and asks whether the response matched the evidence.

Person: Barbara Ann Wieners

Date: February 6, 1976 (Fort…

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