US dodged a bird flu pandemic in 1957 thanks to eggs and dumb luck – with a new strain spreading fast, will Americans get lucky again?
- Written by Alexandra M. Lord, Chair and Curator of Medicine and Science, Smithsonian Institution
Eggs have been crucial to vaccine production for decades.Bettmann/Getty ImagesIn recent months, Americans looking for eggs have faced empty shelves in their grocery stores. The escalating threat of avian flu has forced farmers to kill millions of chickens to prevent its spread.
Nearly 70 years ago, Maurice Hilleman, an expert in influenza, also...