Description

The Diphtheria Crisis in NomeIn January 1925, a deadly diphtheria outbreak threatened the remote town of Nome, Alaska. The town had about 1,400 people, including many Indigenous Alaskans who were particularly vulnerable to the disease. The only doctor, Dr. Curtis Welch, diagnosed diphtheria in several children, and without an antitoxin serum, a major epidemic loomed.The only available antitoxin serum was over 1,000 miles away in Anchorage, and the situation became desperate. Due to blizzard conditions, -50°F (-46°C) temperatures, and nearly zero visibility, airplanes couldn’t fly. Ships were blocked by sea ice. There was only one option left: dog sled