May 27, 2009 The Case of Sam Goldstein and the Swine Flu Vaccine
What they didn’t tell Samuel Goldstein in 1976 about the swine
flu vaccine killed him. Now his widow and son say that should be
a lesson for anyone worried about the warnings of a swine flu
pandemic. Although there is no vaccine yet for the current
strain of swine flu, U.S. officials say one could be ready by
November. Sufficient stock to treat large numbers of Americans
would not be ready until January, according to media reports.
Goldstein was left a quadriplegic in 1962 as a result of
Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disease that can lead to
temporary or permanent paralysis and, in some cases, death.
Though Goldstein, then 14, recovered from Guillain-Barre
syndrome, he was left with limited motion and strength in his
arms and his legs. Nevertheless, he was able to walk with leg
braces and with a very weak upper body. His condition hardly
slowed him down, as Goldstein became the first quadriplegic to
compete and finish the American Red