The Spread Of Influenza Virus

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.

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 influenza had a catastrophic impact on the world. It washed over the world in waves, killing millions from even the most remote places on every continent. No one was safe from this lethal disease. It also had an odd pattern in victims that nobody had seen before, killing strong and healthy people. It was a ruthless disease that devastated it’s victims and killed them in a macabre way.

"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.

Paula Sullivan, a seasoned nurse practitioner, discusses how influenza is an infectious disease that takes place “in temperate regions around the world” which results in approximately the death of 500,000 people “annually” worldwide; 226,000 people get hospitalized and 36,000 die from influenza annually in the United States alone (Sullivan). Most of the people who die from the influenza virus are aged 65 years or older and that is usually because other diseases are

Influenza over the years has mutated so many different times that it is hard for scientists to keep up with new and updated versions of vaccines to keep people protected. The Flu for some people can cause major complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis because the Flu attacks the respiratory area, but most people who get the Flu will recover in a few days or up to a few weeks. The 1918 Spanish Flu was the worst epidemic that ever hit the world and the contributing factors of the millions of death were that there was no such thing as vaccines or antibiotics to fight off infections. The side effects were so severe that doctors misdiagnosed Influenza as a different infectious disease, and this specific Flu killed more people than the plague.

The influenza or flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, the deadliest in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide–about one-third of the planet’s population at the time–and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims. Researchers later discovered what made

     Other then vaccination, some basic treatment is: stay at home, drink fluids, take anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin or ibuprofen), decongestants, cough medicine, gargles, lozenges, or await a natural treatment.

Describe two innate (nonspecific) immune responses that might prevent an influenza virus from causing any noticeable infection, even if the virus enters your respiratory passages.

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

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.

Restate Thesis: Influenza is a common virus that is present in almost every part of the world. Studies show that influenza causes people to be prevalent to other diseases, especially respiratory diseases. According to an article on The Lancet, August 14th, 2009 by Jamieson, the virus caused the widespread outbreak of respiratory infection