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Show 'NEW VACCINE TO BE FREED FOR CURBING FLU Civilian protection against influenza in-fluenza epidemics may approach the effective methods of the Army Ar-my within' the next few months, if current plans for releasing a powerful new vaccine reach the scale anticipated. Following successful mass experiments ex-periments with servicemen, Army spokesmen indicated that the vaccine vac-cine will reach civilian doctors in considerable quantities during the next two months and may become be-come generally available soon after af-ter that. Small amounts have already al-ready been released for civilian treatment, but the stepped-up program was to begin this week. Initial distribution, it was indicated, indicat-ed, will take severity of locality into consideration the vaccine going first to those areas where weather extremes cause greatest exposure. Ultimately, it was pointed out, production of the vaccine might reach the stag where populations would have a curb on flu comparable compar-able to that recently put into effect ef-fect by the Army, and which now finds the anti-influenza shot one of the chief requirements for a soldier shipping to the Far East. Traced back, the Army found its first key to the vaccine's effectiveness ef-fectiveness during the 1943-1944 epidemic in this country. Thous-ans Thous-ans of GIs were innoculated at that time, with results which encouraged en-couraged the Army to undertake a huge production program. This was pioneered by cooperating firms, fhich had made enough vaccine available by late October to permit shipment of 5 million shots to soldiers. From that point the Army undertook un-dertook what has been termed history's greatest mass test of a new method for fighting a disease. dis-ease. The shot itself is good for from three to four month in the average person, but in some instances, in-stances, may be effective as long as a year. It must be taken a week or .ten days before exposure to the disease. |