The Incredible Hulk’s Son Died of a Vaccine Preventable Disease
Bill Bixby's son died with acute epiglottitis in 1981.
Did you know that The Incredible Hulk’s son died of a vaccine preventable disease?
Well, the son of Bill Bixby, who played David Banner in the original The Incredible Hulk TV show died of a now vaccine preventable disease. And of course, the Hulk was played by Lou Ferrigno.
The Incredible Hulk’s Son Died of a Vaccine Preventable Disease
Tragically, Bill Bixby’s son, Christopher, developed epiglottitis, sudden trouble breathing, needed a tracheotomy to help him breath, but still died in the hospital.
But what does this have to do with vaccines?
Epiglottitis is typically caused by the Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) bacteria.
Our children now get the Hib vaccine to prevent them from developing epiglottitis, bacterial meningitis, and pneumonia.
Unfortunately, the vaccine came too late for Bill Bixby’s son.
“…for those trained in pediatrics in the 1970s, Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) was a horror.”
Walter Orenstein
He died in 1981.
A time when just over 250 young children died each year of Hib disease in the United States.
The first Hib vaccine was licensed in 1985.
And compounding the tragedy even more, Christopher’s mom committed suicide a year after her son died.
