History has a way of repeating itself -- at least when it comes to swine flu at Penn State.

The H1N1 virus burst into headlines last spring when Mexico started seeing the first signs of a widespread outbreak. But this is not the first time the "swine flu" has captured the nation's attention -- nor is it the first time the virus has impacted the Penn State community.

In fact, the virus debuted in 1976.

In January of that year, a handful of new recruits at Fort Dix, N.J., complained of flu-like symptoms. Shortly afterward, one soldier died.

The recruits were subsequently diagnosed with a strain of swine flu that would come to be clinically known as "A/New Jersey" and would trigger a controversial nation-wide immunization program.

Margaret Spear, director of University Health Services (UHS), is quick to point out that despite the apparent similarities between H1N1 and the past outbreak, this is a different situation from 1977. As of Tuesday, 30 students have been asked to self-isolate, and two have tested positive for the virus. More than half of the possible cases seen occurred since last Saturday, UHS officials said.

The most notable difference is in the scale of the disease. While the 1976-1977 scare amounted in 200 isolated cases in Fort Dix, the current H1N1 outbreak has reached the status of a global pandemic that is "sustaining itself around the world," Spear said.

A nationwide response

While the actual scale of the disease in 1976 may have been small, the government response was not. Those 200 cases launched a nationwide immunization program in which President Gerald Ford urged everyone to get the vaccine and was himself publicly inoculated.

Penn State, following the national push, implemented a massive inoculation program in 1976. In fact, Janice Ogurcak, Class of 1977, says it was the only flu shot she has ever received.

Ogurcak, now a Williamsport resident and director of the Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum, was one of thousands of students vaccinated.

The Daily Collegian first ran a story on the "Swine Flu Program" on Sept. 29, 1976. By Nov. 8, 600 students, faculty, and staff were being immunized in the HUB-Robeson Center's ballroom per hour.

A similar scene may repeat itself when the new H1N1 vaccine arrives and University Health Services looks to "use a large space, like the Bryce Jordan Center, to get thousands the vaccine," Spear said .

In 1977, the vaccine typically made more headlines than the virus. Ogurcak said mistrust of the government led to much of the skepticism.

"A lot of people did not want to get it," she said. "The concern was more about the government telling you what to do. Coming out of the early '70s and riots of the '60s, people were very skeptical of the government."

In spite of her concerns and fears the vaccine itself would make her sick, Ogurcak made the difficult decision to go to the Ritenour Building and get the vaccine.

Some concerns turned out to be justifiable. After cases of Guillian-Barré syndrome, a type of temporary paralysis, were associated with the vaccine, public health officials halted the vaccination program. This included stopping vaccinations at Penn State.

'We are being very vigilant'

Current advice, however, stresses another difference from 1976.

"The recommendation is to get the vaccine, even if you think you have already had [the virus] ... it appears the vaccine is safe with few side effects," Spear said.

On its Web site, the Centers for Disease Control also stresses that people who received the 1976 vaccine are not protected from this strain and should still receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine.

Fears of a lethal pandemic, like the 1918 influenza that claimed millions of lives, helped prompt the 1976 immunizations without real need. But Spear said the possibility of widespread illness is now real.

While the virus does not appear to be lethal in most cases, she said, it does spread more easily than seasonal flu.

Back in the 1970s, Penn State health officials struggled to maintain public interest in prevention and immunization: In November, 1976, only 30 percent of students scheduled to be vaccinated actually showed up to their appointments. Now, UHS hopes to avoid a similar problem.

"It is a challenge," Spear said. "People hear a lot about it and no one wants to hear about it anymore, but we are being very vigilant."