History Of Flu

Exploring The History of the Flu

Historically, influenza has been one of the most feared illnesses on the planet. It's debilitating effects, combined with the fact that it can kill you, have made it a force to be reckoned with. Medical science advancements have dealt a solid blow to the influenza threat, but still it remains, a worldwide issue. if we examine the past history if the flu, we can gain some keen perspective on how to deal with it.

History's Scourge The Spanish Flu Pandemic

In 1919 and 1920, The Spanish Flu Pandemic gripped the world with death and illness. It has gone down as one of the deadliest periods in history as it killed an estimated 40 million people, more than did The First World War!

As it turns out, World War One actually helped in the spreading of the disease. As the worlds population spread form continent to continent, it carried with it, a free running flu virus that spread rapidly. The deaths in The United States alone exceeded the hundreds of thousands mark, and was named The Spanish Flu as a result of eight million deaths from it in Spanish Territories. This pandemic actually killed more people than did the Jewish Holocaust. Dwarfing in size, the pandemics of 1957 and 1968 only accounted for 2.5 million fatalities. It is obvious, The Spanish Flu was arguably the most deadly epidemic the world has seen.

Precautions Before Getting Vaccinated

If you have existing medical conditions, there may be a risk in receiving a flu shot. As always, you should consult your doctor and ask their opinion.

What Were The Lessons Learned?

Typically, we humans tend to study the past in an effort to apply the knowledge to the present. The three mentioned pandemics have given scientists and researchers valuable knowledge into their research of influenza treatment. The huge death tolls experienced from these pandemics have forced governments and health authorities to recognize the threat as a serious one and take steps toward prevention and cure.

Evolving flu viruses keep this menace at the top of the list. Despite being less of a threat than in was in years past, influenza retains this fear over mankind. Each year, the flu mutates into some different form and medical authorities do everything they can to anticipate and produce sufficient flu vaccines to combat this. Using the current versions they already have, they use these to determine what changes have occurred to create new ones. This is yet another example of how history can aide in our battle with the flu. Of course there is always the threat that the virus will mutate into a form that vaccines wont be able to eradicate . This grim possibility weighs heavy on the mind of the medical community.

The Current State Of The Flu

There is currently the threat of the avian flu, aka The Bird Flu, also. The virus, not easily transmitted to humans, is deadly. Generally only individuals who have had contact with an infected bird's secretions, or who have had prolonged exposure to these pople, are vulnerable to the disease. The bird flu cannot be transmitted by air, which good news for now. Unfortunately, with the adaptable nature of the influenza virus, this is prone to change.