Influenza Virus: 1918-19 Flu Pandemic

First of all, the name “Influenza” is derived from the Latin word for “influence”, and it is an infectious disease that is caused by the RNA viruses from the Orthomyxoviridae family:

Influenza is very contagious and spreads rapidly from person to person. Influenza causes worldwide yearly epidemics. According to World Health organization Influenza affects 5-15% world’s population and resulting in 500,000 deaths yearly. Ottenberg stated that, in United States, an average of 200,000 were hospitalized and 36,000 died each year from influenza complications. Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death among US adults and is related to 1 in 20 death in persons older than 65 years. Disease control and prevention estimates indicate that infections like H1N1 which is one of the types of influenza, have resulted in an estimated 42 to 86 million cases and 8520 to 17620 deaths. As I mentioned earlier that infections like

Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Influenza, normally called “the flu”, the influenza virus causes an infection in the respiration tract. Even though the influenza virus can sometimes be compared with the common cold. It also can cause a more severe illness or death. During this past century, pandemics took place in 1918, 1957, and 1968, in all of these cases there where unfortunately many deaths. The “Spanish flu” in 1918, killed approximately half a million people in the United States alone. It killed around 20 million worldwide. The “Asian flu” in 1957, in the United States their 70,000 people died. In 1968 the “Hong-Kong flu” There where 34,000 deaths in the United

The 1918 Flu Pandemic is considered to be one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history, estimated to have affected up to 33% and killing anywhere between 3% and 6% of the world population at the time. It killed up to 20% of those infected, as opposed to the usual flu epidemic mortality rate of 0.1%. The disease also distinguished itself in its morbidity and mortality patterns as it predominantly killed previously healthy young adults more than it did children and the elderly. Modern research on the bodies of frozen victims has concluded that the virus killed through an overreaction of the body's immune system. The stronger immune reactions of young adults resulted deadlier when compared to the weaker immune systems of children and

Avian influenza is a disease that has been wreaking havoc on human populations since the 16th century. With the recent outbreak in 1997 of a new H5N1 avian flu subtype, the world has begun preparing for a pandemic by looking upon its past affects. In the 20th Century, the world witnessed three pandemics in the years of 1918, 1957, and 1968. In 1918 no vaccine, antibiotic, or clear recognition of the disease was known. Killing over 40 million in less than a year, the H1N1 strain ingrained a deep and lasting fear of the virus throughout the world. Though 1957 and 1968 brought on milder pandemics, they still killed an estimated 3 million people and presented a new

The influenza pandemic of 1918-19 still reigns as one of the most catastrophic pandemics of all time. World War One occurred shortly before the influenza pandemic, which left us with 16 million less people. Months later, this epidemic spread like wild fire which estimated a loss of 50 million people. Within the United States, 25% of people were victims of this epidemic and the average life expectancy drastically dropped by twelve years.

Influenza, commonly known as the "flu," is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza A or B viruses. Flu appears most frequently in winter and early spring.

Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. In 2013, more than 3,600 people died from it. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others.

For lack of better words “Influenza is a nasty little bugger”, it can make you sick for up to a week and it leaves its victim lying in bed until their better; but nowadays we can get a simple vaccine to keep this pest at bay, but back in the day it wasn't this simple. Influenza spreads very fast, that hasn't changed, but how we deal with it has. When influenza was first a major problem spreading from an Asian to a European environment it had many opportunities to continue spreading, and it did. This was because of the many trade routes in the areas, and the growing population in both areas. Influenza continued its expansion by making the host cough and sneeze spreading it through the air. Influenza was not a unique pandemic, but many others

In 1918 and in 2009, influenza pandemics struck worldwide. It is estimated that the 1918 pandemic killed over fifty million people. The flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, was the deadliest in the modern history. A flu is a virus that attacks the respiratory system which is very contagious. When an infected person coughs and sneezes respiratory droplets are generated and transmitted into the air, and can then can be inhaled by anyone nearby.

The influenza pandemic of 1918 had not only altered the lives of thousands, but the habitual lives of family and work as well. The Spanish Influenza collected more lives than all of the casualties of war in the twentieth century combined. After the disease had swept through the nation, towns that once began their days in lazy, comfortable manners had begun to struggle to get through a single day. What started as a mild neglect of a typical fever or case of chills had escalated and grown at an alarmingly rapid rate to be fearsome and tragic.

Influenza, more commonly known as the flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza viruses and it usually circulates in the United from late fall through early spring (Grohskopf et al., 2016). Influenza is spread through droplets in the air when an individual talks, coughs or sneezes and the best way to prevent the spread of influenza is through vaccination. Finally, the influenza vaccine is given in the early fall months, preferably before the end of October.

•The "Spanish Flu" or also know as "La Grippe" is the 1918-1919 flu that was a worldwide catastrophe.

There are three types of the influenza virus: Type A, B, and C. Types A and B are contracted and spread by human-to-human transmission.