A new pandemic that originated from Asia sweeps the world, hitting the United States during a time of economic prosperity, striking coastal cities the hardest, and eventually prompting a global recession.
Plenty of consternation erupts over why the U.S. government and World Health Organization were so caught off guard when they should have seen the virus coming. Some apparent ambiguity exists about whether the outbreak began in China or elsewhere.
Amid the response of the federal government and criticism of politicians, a doctor and federal public health expert emerges as somewhat of a celebrity.
Ultimately, the disease kills 116,000 Americans, and at least 1.1 million around the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other estimates say 2 million or more die globally.
The year was 1957 and the disease was the Asian flu in what some called the H2N2 pandemic. The H2N2 virus was made up of three genes originating from the avian influenza A virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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