Introduction:

The article discusses the arrival of the Asian influenza pandemic in Brazil from the news published between June and September 1957 in the press of Rio de Janeiro, then the federal capital. The sources used were three of the most important daily newspapers and two weekly magazines available online.

Development:

The article comprises 3 months of information, reports, and opinions on the emergence and growth of the pandemic in Asia, the United States, Europe, and South America; the threat of its entry into the country, the actions of the federal government and, finally, the first cases recorded in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of September. It is nor we but The author (as I note in the word version) analyzed the pandemic in Brazil from the perspective of journalism, addressing perceptions and uncertainties about the disease, and the preparations of governments and scientific and medical institutions. The article includes the evaluations and criticisms of government actions, repercussions of the first suspected and confirmed cases in South America, and doubts regarding the Ministry of Health's capacity to respond to the epidemic.

Conclusions:

The article highlights the central role of the press and media in shaping an epidemic as a social and political event before it took place as a biomedical event.

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