The life-threatening illness arrives in New York by bus. In March 1947, a US businessman made a stopover in the city on his way from Mexico City to Maine. He feels uncomfortable, but still does sightseeing and then collapses. Ten days later he dies in a New York hospital. It takes until the beginning of April until it is clear that the man died of smallpox. The then New York health commissioner, Israel Weinstein, did not hesitate long. There were now numerous cases in the city and Weinstein decided to vaccinate the entire population of New York City, says Charles DiMaggio, professor of population health at New York University.
Biggest vaccination campaigns of all time
Smallpox is one of the most serious infectious diseases in humans. Two out of ten cases are fatal – the others threaten blindness, paralysis and brain damage. Up to 400 million people died of smallpox in the 20th century. By 1947, most New Yorkers were actually vaccinated against the disease. But the outbreak shows: That is not enough.
And so begins one of the greatest vaccination campaigns of all time. Organized mainly through calls on the radio: “The only measure to protect people from the ravages of the disease is vaccination,” Weinstein hammers the New Yorkers. Vaccine doses from all over the United States are brought to New York. Pharmaceutical companies are ramping up their production. Children are vaccinated right away at school, and vaccination centers are improvised for adults all over town, even in all police stations.
Truman rolled up his sleeves
All New Yorkers have the option to get vaccinated. Free. Even US President Truman rolls up his shirt sleeves in a publicly effective way when visiting New York. “Be Sure. Be Safe. Get Vaccinated” is on posters across town. And people follow the call. 6.35 million people can be vaccinated in less than a month. At the beginning of May Weinstein announced: The danger is over.
Those in charge were determined
The 1947 New York vaccination campaign was the last major smallpox campaign of its kind in the United States. How successful it was also shows that there was never again the need for such a large vaccination program, says health scientist DiMaggio. Not only he is impressed by the determination of those responsible at the time and the impact of the action:
“We were good at vaccinating people back then. We had the skills to organize such health campaigns. And people were open to such programs. Everything is different in the US today: health has been privatized more and more. Public health care too : In some places there are only a handful of people in the health authorities. ” Health scientist Charles DiMaggio
Vaccination skepticism about Corona
And that’s exactly what is taking its toll now. For the corona vaccinations, the cities and municipalities in the USA are dependent on private clinic operators and drugstore chains, who are repeatedly overwhelmed with logistics.
In addition, there is widespread distrust among the population. Depending on the survey, up to 40 percent of Americans say they do not want to be vaccinated. The main problem, however, is the erosion of the public health system, says DiMaggio: “It’s almost like a war: in 1947 we had a whole army of people who could march off immediately. Today we have to rebuild this army as best we can , in the fight against Corona. ”
–
