Asian Flu, British Style

While U.S. health authorities were studying more economical use of Asian-influenza vaccine, Britain was taking its flu lying down. An estimated 60,000 children in England and Wales were out of school. In several Midland industrial towns, transport workers were sick and bus service had to be curtailed. In Sheffield a third of the telephone operators were out, and 100 postmen took to their beds, leaving university students to fill in for them. Two British submarines were pulled out of NATO maneuvers because their crews had been hit by the flu.

Through it all the British made little effort to get a vaccination program going. Only one firm is now making vaccine, and none is yet available. Whatever is produced will go to doctors and nurses. The government pooh-poohs the flu and the Health Ministry offered mostly slogans: "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases--trap the germs in your handkerchief." Jabbed the Daily Herald in reply: "We need some American-style hustle instead of this ministerial sleeping sickness."

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