Influenza In Pandemics

As the horrendous experiences of the First World War began to wind down, a new terror emerged in the form of the Spanish Influenza that circumnavigated the world, not once but twice within a two-year period. While the general public commonly remembered experiences of the war in literature, art, prose and memorials, those of the 1918 pandemic were not. Research completed by this author on the subject of German bias during the First World War found little mention of the influenza pandemic in The Burlington Hawk-Eye, the state?s longest continually operating newspaper, published in Burlington, Iowa. However, the Burlington Public Library Board, in its meeting minutes, recommended the

Every year, millions of people start talking about the influenza virus and getting their vaccines as the flu season approaches, which starts around the October-November period and reaches its peak between December and March. Therefore, public health officials around the world- and in the U.S in particular- are constantly challenged by properly preparing for the annual influenza dilemma, given that this viruses, and other respiratory viruses, are a serious health threat to the U.S population and the world as a whole. Furthermore, what makes the influenza virus even more challenging to control is that it can mutate rapidly and reassort to form new strains, having the ability to reside in multiple animal hosts. In fact, many scientists and researchers have been doing in-depth intensive research so as to understand the mechanism behind this unique characteristic of the virus, try to find new ways to control it, and explore different areas of protection and vaccination.

The book The Great Influenza by John Barry takes us back to arguably one of the greatest medical disasters in human history, the book focuses on the influenza pandemic which took place in the year 1918. The world was at war in the First World War and with everyone preoccupied with happenings in Europe and winning the war, the influenza pandemic struck when the human race was least ready and most distracted by happenings all over the world. In total the influenza pandemic killed over a hundred million people on a global scale, clearly more than most of the deadliest diseases in modern times. John Barry leaves little to imagination in his book as he gives a vivid description of the influenza pandemic of 1918 and exactly how this pandemic affected the human race. The book clearly outlines the human activities that more or less handed the human race to the influenza on a silver platter. “There was a war on, a war we had to win” (Barry, p.337). An element of focus in the book is the political happenings back at the time not only in the United States of America but also all over the world and how politicians playing politics set the way for perhaps the greatest pandemic in human history to massacre millions of people. The book also takes an evaluator look at the available medical installations and technological proficiencies and how the influenza pandemic has affected medicine all over the world.

Influenza, an innocent little virus that annually comes and goes, has always been a part of people’s lives. Knowing this, one would not believe that it has caused not one, not two, but three pandemics and is on its way to causing a fourth! The Spanish flu of 1918, the Asian flu of 1957, and the Hong Kong

"The 1918 has gone: a year momentous as the termination of the most cruel war in the annals of the human race; a year which marked, the end at least for a time, of man's destruction of man; unfortunately a year in which developed a most fatal infectious disease causing the death of hundreds of thousands of human beings. Medical science for four and one-half years devoted itself to putting men on the firing line and keeping them there. Now it must turn with its whole might to combating the greatest enemy of all--infectious disease (Billings, 2005)." The influenza in 1919 was much bigger than a cold. In the two years that this disease swept the world one fifth of the population was infected. The flu was most deadly for people ages 20 to 40. This pattern of death was unusual for influenza which usually killed the elderly and young children. It infected 28% of all Americans. An estimated 675,000 Americans died of influenza during this pandemic, about ten times as many as in World War 1. Of the U.S. soldiers who died in Europe, half of them were killed by the influenza virus and not to the enemy. An estimated 43,000 soldiers who were sent for WWI died of influenza. The worldwide influenza epidemic adversely affected the U.S., both in the states and the soldiers at war. Subsequently, in the lack of medicine, lack of skilled doctors, and the lack of soldier preparation.

People are misled to believe that flu-related deaths are based on body counts, lab tests or autopsies. Shockingly, the numbers of flu deaths are based on a statistical guess and assumptions made from a computer model (Growe). Dr. Michael Gardam, director of the infection prevention and control unit at the University Health Network in Toronto and Dr. Tom Jefferson, a researcher with the Cochrane Collaboration were interviewed by a CBC News reported Kelly Growe. Both doctors stated that the computer model is unreliable and is nothing more than guesswork that is far from the truth. Dr. Michael Graham supported his statement by explaining how “one model counts all respiratory and circulatory deaths - that’s death from heart and lung failure - as flu deaths. Deaths from pneumonia, even though not all pneumonia is caused by flu” are categorized within the model as flu deaths during the flu season. Ironically, according to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “people who caught the Spanish flu in 1918(the world’s worst pandemic flu in history that lead to 20 million deaths worldwide) did not die from it, but from the complications caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia” (“Pandemic Flu History”). Statistics Canada stated that there were about 300 influenza-related deaths each year between 2000 and 2008. Following the flu pandemic, H1N1 hit in 2009, the final count of flu-related deaths among 34

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 is still being discussed. In the public health sector it is used as an example of the viruses potential power, if we do not continue to prepare, educate the public and vaccinate on a global scale. Let’s think back to that time were science and technology was not as advanced. Quarantine and isolation measures meant little to no travel, remaining home and less time spent in the public, “diagnosing influenza became even more difficult because an especially virulent form of the disease had erupted” (Untied States Department of Health and Human Services, 2015).

The first influenza pandemic was recorded as early as 1580. The orthomyxoviridae however, which is the etiological cause of influenza, was discovered by the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom in 1933. Prior to that Haemophilus bacterium was thought to cause the flu. Influenza is an acute respiratory illness, which is caused by influenza A or B (and rarely C). It occurs every year, mostly during the winter season. The flu season in the United States can begin as early as October 4 and end as late as May. In 1938, Jonas Salk and Thomas Francis developed the first vaccine against flu. Currently it is recommended that all individuals 6 months and older should get vaccinated, unless there is a contraindication. Once an individual is

Scary movies are great because they push boundaries of the believable while sitting on the threshold of our most deep set fears. Where movies such as The Exorcist or The Blair Witch Project have shock value, they also lack depth. Where are the elements that bring these stories their credibility/believability? Some of the best horror movies of all time were science fiction stories that left the audience feeling this could actually happen in their daily lives. Who honestly believes that a ghost is going to come haunt you and your family? What about a widespread disease that is killing off everyone you know, in weeks, that is spread through touch? Schools shut down, the government tries to take over while rebellion among

citizen avoided another, hardly any neighbour troubled about others, relatives never or hardly ever visited each other. Moreover, such terror was struck into the hearts of men and women by this calamity, that brother abandoned brother, and the uncle his nephew, and the sister her brother, and very often the wife her husband. What is even worse and nearly incredible is that fathers and mothers refused to see and tend their children, as if they had not been theirs.” So many people did not know what the plague was and it made people very afraid. Agnolo di Tura del Grasso produced a chronicle of events from 1300 to 1351 with his experiences with the plague. “And I, Agnolo di Tura, called the Fat, buried my five children with my own hands. And there

Scientists’ studies have led to a greater understanding of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Through conducting tests on the remains of victims, as well as consulting morgues, and numerous accounts of that time period, scientists have finally come up with a theory and solution for influenza.

‘A time comes in the life of the most wretched when they do realize their mistakes and tries penance in their own way. Once I been attacked by influenza and having a high temperature, the animal instincts of my step father forced himself on me, right before my mother. I pleaded with my folded hands to let me be spared, I requested my mother to help me in relieving from the predator as my condition doesn’t permit to be his partner. My mother asked my step father to free me, when the words of my mother didn’t move him, she brought out a sword and to intimidate him flashed in the air, but the tip of the sword cuts off the veins of his neck and he fell down on me, killing him instantly, the blood oozing out profusely, drenched me fully. Horror

Influenza a running rampant through the hospital and I am not a fan of having to wear a gown, mask and gloves. It feels like such a barrier when communicating with the patients. I just cringe whenever I see the droplet precautions on the patient’s chart. I really cannot wait for this flu season to pass, especially since we lost a 10-year-old to the flu today. It is always sad when someone dies, but there is such a noticeable effect throughout the entire hospital when a child passes away. On the other hand, it is in these moments you really get to witness the tight bond between the staff members. The other social workers offered a lot of support to the social worker directly involved and the chaplains, doctors, and nurses really rally

How has the Federal Government dealt with pandemic Influenza outbreaks in the past? In previous years, there have been many outbreaks of the influenza virus in many different strains. These outbreaks have occurred all over the world, ranging from the worst Influenza outbreak in history, the “Spanish Flu” of 1918, to the first Influenza outbreaks of the 21st century, the “Swine Flu” waves of 2009 and 2010. In the United States, the federal government works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, and the World Health Organization, the WHO, to track seasonal influenza activity, which includes H1N1. The WHO has a Global Influenza Program that “provides global standards for influenza surveillance and collects and analyzes

The influenza virus has three types: A, B, and C. Seasonal influenza epidemics are typically caused by types A and B, while type C regularly has mild symptoms. Scientists have studied previous years of influenza epidemics and are able to predict the yearly flu season for the United States. In the United States, flu season tends to peak during the winter months. In other climates, such as tropical and subtropical, flu seasons can vary making them harder to predict. Hong Kong has a subtropical climate and commonly has two flu seasons, one from January through March and another from July through August. In addition to these two common flu seasons, Hong Kong can experience flu epidemics at erratic times during