Sub-series consists of records relating to the swine flu vaccine program. In February 1976, a local outbreak of a/swine influenza (commonly known as "swine flu") in the United States led American and Canadian health authorities to conclude that it was likely an epidemic of swine flu would hit Canada and the United States during the fall of 1976. Following the recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunizing Agents, the federal and provincial governments decided to embark upon a selective immunization program to protect the parts of the Canadian population which were most at risk of contracting a disease. An agreement was reached in October 1976 between the federal government (acting as a purchasing agent) and Connaught Laboratories Limited of Toronto to deliver 12,000,000 doses of swine flu vaccine for administration by the provincial health authorities. The vaccine was acquired from several offshore sources, such as Glaxo (United Kingdom), Behringwerke (Federal Republic of Germany), Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (Australia) and Phillips-Dupar (Netherlands), tested by Connaught according to specifications provided by the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control of the Health Protection Branch, and then shipped to the provinces.
The sub-series includes office files relating to the swine flu vaccine program, from the arrangements surrounding the agreement with Connaught Laboratories to purchase the vaccine on behalf of the government, to the need for indemnity insurance for Connaught in the event of problems with vaccines acquired from foreign sources, and the distribution of and billing for the vaccine. There are also files on general research and medical papers relating to swine flu and the possibility of a pandemic similar to that of 1918-1919 and copies of clinical trials data from Connaught Laboratories.
