In 1918, an introduced form of flu virus, the Spanish Influenza, took hold on Americans all over the country. There were three waves of pandemic which struck in the summer of 1918, fall of 1918, and the spring of 1919. After each wave, the virus mutated in order to adapt to the medicines and vaccines developed at the time in turn causing more and more death along the way. Due to the mutating illness, there were over 675,000 deaths in America; there were 50 million deaths worldwide. There were more deaths in one year of influenza pandemic than all of the deaths from the Bubonic plague of the 12th century.
The waves of influenza involved the H1N1 virus however, the only difference between the waves was the virus’ ability to adapt to the environment.
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The virus attacks the respiratory system, especially the lungs and sinuses. When the virus attacks the system, it causes inflammation to the surrounding tissues leading to heavy congestion and a sticky yellow mucus. This mucus is meant to soothe the friction within the tissues and to expel the virus with drainage through the nose and also through the …show more content…
This drainage to the back of the throat is called post-nasal drip (PND). This drainage into the esophagus can cause irritation and inflammation causing sore throat which, in turn, leads to coughing. The body is trying to expel all this virus-infected mucus from the system. However, despite the body’s efforts, sufferers of the flu will often inhale or swallow the mucus in their nose or throat. This is replacing the virus into the system therefore delaying the body’s recovery.
Finally, the influenza virus lost its’ potency. The vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk in 1903, eventually was revised by him and his partner, Thomas Francis, in 1920. Today, the influenza virus changes constantly. The vaccine may not prevent illness against the newest and most changed virus but it will prevent against the old and most common forms that people encounter daily. In today’s public vaccine released by the CDC, there are four different types of influenza virus antibodies to help protect the recipient from
The Spanish flu in World War I was a lot worse and had a way higher death rate than the common flu today. Therefore, they should not even be compared. It is so much different because during war everything was so dirty and everyone was always crammed in the trenches: “World War 1 trenches were dirty, smelly and riddled with disease. For soldiers life in the trenches meant living in fear” (WWI facts). This made it very easy to catch illnesses especially because the flu was so contagious. The symptoms of the Spanish flu were very similar to the symptoms of a common flu: “Normal flu symptoms of fever, nausea, aches and diarrhea” (NPR). Although they were similar is was still way more deadly to have it during World War I. Everyone already had such
With the migration of Influenza throughout the land, it open doors for a new technique in try to stop this epidemic. According to document 5, Influenza swept through North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Brazil and the South Pacific. In 1918-19 this
This influenza occurred at the latter point of “World War 1” coming at a vulnerable time for the world. Many people have already died due to the war, and many resources and money has already been consumed. So when the pandemic hit, it hit with a charge that left a great wound in the economy and health of the people not just in the U.S. but the world. People responded by taking more precautions in health and safety, and took radical response in the exterminating of animal populations.
There was a big spread of the flue in amreica a lot of people where infected about 500 muillion people. The Spanish Flue killed
The book “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, written by John M. Barry, covers the progression of the Spanish influenza, especially in the United States. Barry focuses not only on the influenza itself, though, but also on the social influences that allowed the virus to flourish. The book covers how medical practices in the United States had risen up just in time to combat the virus, but, due to societal issues and the war, the doctors struggled in areas where they should have been successful.
Influenza, also known as “the flu,” is a virus that infects the respiratory tract. Although Influenza is not as severe as many viral infections it's almost the worst for viral infections of the respiratory tract. Typically, when someone is infected with influenza they experience fever (usually 100° to 103°F in adults, but even higher in children) and causes a cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and also headaches, muscle aches, and usually extreme tiredness. There are sometimes other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea but usually only in rare cases with young children. One other note: The term “Stomach flu” isn’t really caused by the influenza virus.
The influenza epidemic came in two waves. The first wave, in the spring of 1918, took far fewer victims than the second. Americans stricken with the flu that spring wondered at the
A person with influenza could have a fever of 102-104 degrees fahrenheit, experience fatigue, and have joint and muscle pains with a throbbing headache ("Fighting Influenza"). Additionally, they would lose their appetite, which resulted in a deficiency of nutrients in those with the virus. Furthermore, the flu affected the respiratory system causing nasal congestion, a runny nose, and continual coughing. Inflammation of the bronchi and alveoli caused damage to the person’s lungs. Also, massive swelling, bleeding and near-complete destruction of the surface cell layer of the lungs and spleens could occur. A telltale marker of the Spanish flu is that a person’s eyes become bloodshot, incessant vomiting and diarrhea. All these symptoms varied on the person’s immunity to the virus ("The Symptoms of Spanish
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
One of the most virulent strains of influenza in history ravaged the world and decimated the populations around the world. Present during World War I, the 1918 strain of pandemic influenza found many opportunities to spread through the war. At the time, science wasn’t advanced enough to study the virus, much less find a cure; medical personnel were helpless when it came to fighting the disease, and so the flu went on to infect millions and kill at a rate 25 times higher than the standard.
In 1918, the world witnessed an influenza outbreak that would come to be known as the Spanish Flu (Kamradt-Scott, 2012). The pandemic was believed to have started in the United States, but when the outbreak was finally over it had circumnavigated the world an estimated three times and took the lives of between twenty to fifty million members of the world population. This outbreak was said to have a negative impact of the troops that were currently fighting in World War 1 and was often referred to as a war time disease (Kamradt-Scott, 2012). With the government’s resistance to notify other countries to give them a significant advantage over American troops, it is highly likely; that the outbreak was worse than could have been had they just
Influenza is well-defined as a minor, but commonly epidemic disease that occurred in several of ways, also caused by numerous of rapidly mutating viral strains. It characterized by the respiratory symptoms and general prostration. The Spanish flu was not a normal epidemic, it was a dangerous pandemic. Epidemics affect individuals at the same time in areas where the disease does not normally spread. A pandemic is an epidemic on a national, international, or global scale. The Spanish flu was different from a usual flu in one big great terrifying way, which had a remarkably high death rate between healthy individuals around the age fifteen to thirty four. There has been such a high death rate in this type if age group in an epidemic prior to or since the Spanish flu of 1918.
The website Flu.gov says that “historically, the 20th century saw 3 pandemics of influenza, and the 21st has experienced 1 flu pandemic.”
There are there types of influenza A and C or the most severe types and B which is the most common, Luckily not the to severe. The virus works by first attaching to the outside of a host cell. It injects its RNA into the cell. Unfortunately our cells treat the RNA like they should. It translates the viral genes using the cell’s ribosomes and enzymes. Now the virus can take the cell over and use it to reproduce more viruses. Sooner or later it releases the new nauseating viruses and they search for another cell to raid.
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.