In 1918-1919, the worst flu in recorded history occurred, killing an estimated 50 million people worldwide. The U.S. death toll was 675,000 - five times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in World War I. Crazy! This flu was unlike any other, and in infected unlike any other. Not to mention, the progression of this illness was extremely quick. One minute you’re fine and the next you’re suffering from a high-grade fever and lying on your death bed. Unlike the influenza virus that many are familiar with today, this form of the virus targeted -- and killed -- the young and healthy. This to me was an interesting fact as it is more common that viruses affect those who are elderly, pregnant, under the age of five, or suffer from chronic …show more content…
A further piece of information that caught my eye during this video was how motivated, determined, and yet rather desperate they were to create a vaccination. After nearly 80 years, they still wanted and needed a vaccination. I believe this is because they understood that this illness can still be a threat and lurk back up into today’s world much more powerful and deadly. The reason I say they were desperate is because the flu is changing nearly every season and viruses like the avian flu (which they believe the flu of 1918 was a form of) is creeping back up on the radar. It’s in my opinion they were desperate not only to have some closure on such a horrible time in history, but also, to find a vaccine, that if needed, can be used again at later point in time to prevent such an outbreak from happening again. I think it also shows the importance in vaccinations, although many people don’t believe they are necessary. Most importantly, the take-away point for me to always be prepared for both the good and the bad. The people living during that time weren’t necessarily expecting for something so deadly to come through knock out half a million people. (Then again, who wakes up expecting to have a deadly virus come through and take their life?!) Americans were especially not prepared for it as they were already dealing with the war and
At no time was a search for the cure for influenza more frantic than after the devastating effects of the pandemic of 1918. The pandemic killed somewhere between twenty and a hundred million people, making it twenty five times more deadly than the ordinary cough and sneeze flu. The symptoms of this flu
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
The Great Influenza by John Barry gives a panoramic account of the deadly influenza that swept across the globe and left a lasting legacy on human society. Instead of merely describing the cause and effects of the disease, Barry uses the events of the 1918 pandemic to explore how investigators and political leaders in both the national and local levels responded to and confronted the challenges that faced them. The book's overarching argument is that the influenza pandemic of 1918 was a result of the interplay of biology, politics, and culture. In spite of the harrowing and devastating repercussions of the pandemic, there were some positive outcomes and scientific discoveries that continue to be significant today. The 1918 influenza pandemic is a tragic story of suffering, death, and havoc.
In the early 1900’s medicine was making some steps closer into some great improvements for health and better understanding of the human body. Doctors with sufficient knowledge of the human body and cures for diseases and viruses were scarce. People were much more concerned with government and politics, than health and medicine, until one of the greatest and most grotesque lethal pandemics that’s struck the earth in human history. This pandemic the “Spanish Flu” spread so rapidly and had an extremely high mortality rate. This was caused by the close contact of humans and poor cleanliness and sanitation, and the host (virus) and the body taking harsh action
It was the year 1918, Many people were fighting viciously in the World War fighting for what each side had believed was true and fair. Both the allied and the axis powers were butting heads across Europe, Asia and Africa. As the war was coming to an end a massive 16 million lives were taken from the war-torn events that had taken place. While the war effort was in full force both domestically and internationally, A secret war was brewing under the surface becoming the underlying theme for what would be the most cataclysmic atrocity that had ever existed, only coming second to the bubonic plague. This would be the name of the biggest viral pandemic to had spread since that time, and its name would be the 1918 flu or Spanish
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.
The 1968 Pandemic was known as the “Hong Kong Flu” and was Influenza strain A(H3N2) and caused 34,000 deaths in the U.S.
This paper will examine the Australian beef market, and whether it is an attractive market for South Korea to import from. An analysis of the current Australian and South Korean beef industries; the conditions required to produce beef most efficiently, following the Heckscher-Ohlin Model; tariffs that are involved with these trades, and the impact of the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement; environmental implications to Australia; as well as the cultural environment and geographic factor, will be discussed to determine whether South Korea is an attractive market for Australian beef.
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.
Then, in the fall of 1918, influenza struck. People everywhere fell victim to the Spanish flu, dying of uncontrollable hemorrhaging that filled the lungs and caused the patients to drown (Crane 1). Estimates say that approximately 20 to 40 percent of the world’s population became ill, and the worldwide death toll was around 20 to 40 million (“NVPO” 2). Around 675,000 people died in America alone (Crane 5). The Spanish flu struck quickly; you could feel well in the morning, get sick by noon, and be dead by nightfall (“NVPO” 2). The doctors were unable to cure the Spanish flu, so the people resorted to superstitious practices, such as wearing a
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 first wave of the 1918 pandemic appeared in San Sebastián, Spain. Within two months, 8 million of Spain’s residents were ill, and the disease had spread on a global scale. Soon it became known as the Spanish flu, because it received the most press there. The other nations had their media tied up with wartime censorship; Spain, a noncombatant, had no such measures in place (Kolata, Flu 9-10). The first wave of the 1918 pandemic appeared in America without much comment. The media was more interested in attention-grabbing news about topics like the war than the rather unremarkable flu. Most people were afflicted with symptoms for a few days before recovering and moving on. The only aspect of the flu that was remarkable was the condition of the lungs from the victims who had died from the flu and pneumonia (Crosby 17-21).
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 advantages of having a victim advocacy center such as the Mesa Center Against Family Violence, which is subsidized by the Mesa Police Department is that it serves as a victim focused facility that looks like a home from the outside, it brings together agencies to investigate and offer support to the victims of violent crimes. The agencies that there at the facility are the law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors, victim advocates, forensics interviewers, medical professionals and mental health providers. Also, the victims are easier to open up with this type of
The death penalty is what built our world today, its been used around our world for hundreds of years. The death penalties are what built our safe country by putting all the bad criminals to justice. It has always been part of our history and it always will be. According to deathpenaltyinfo.org, “Britain influenced America’s use for the death penalty more than any other country.” The first recorded execution in the United States was Captain George Kendall, and he was executed in Jamestown, Virginia for being a spy for Spain. Today more people are against the death penalty and the use of it has declined since the 1990’s (Death Penalty Information). I believe the death penalty should only be used in certain cases and situations, such as