Over 80 years after the1918 flu virus disappeared, epidemiologists still did not understand exactly why it was so devastating. After working with tissue samples from the autopsies of flu victims and the infected lung tissue of an Alaskan woman whose body had been preserved in Arctic permafrost, researchers at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were able to recreate an extinct virus. Then, in October of 2005, they announced that they had isolated, decoded and replicated the entire sequence of the 1918 virus now identified as H1N1. (PM) Influenza viruses typically infect the epithelial cells that line the respiratory tract and reproduce. Characteristically, the structure is a sphere
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(Lessons from the past) Influenza mortality curves by age at death are usually U-shaped, with the peaks in the very young and the very old age range and low mortality in the age groups in between. The third mortality peak among young adults( in the W-shaped curve accounted for approximately half of the total influenza deaths, and although the mortality rate was higher at all ages, the mortality peak associated with the elderly was less pronounced than in the other age groups. There is no definite explanation for the excess mortality in persons 20-40. One theory takes into account that these young adults were born during the 1878-1898 timeframe in which there was only wide circulation of an H3 influenza virus, and a vigorous immune response essentially destroyed their lungs in an attempt to wipe out the virus. Another theory attributes the prevalence of cases due to higher rate of exposure among the young adults. The mortality increase in the elderly was less pronounced than the other peaks of the mortality curve and may be explained by this age group’s previous exposure to a related flu virus. …show more content…
(Morens) The most difficult challenge was to increase medical capacity, resource availability, and public-health responses. Over one-third of physicians and nurses were serving overseas, and the flu further reduced the number of available healthcare workers, including orderlies, custodians, cooks, caregivers, pharmacists, laboratory workers and other personnel. Fear and tremendous case loads also took a toll on available personnel. The Red Cross sent out its Volunteer Medical Service Corps, which was a reserve of civilian doctors not serving overseas, and states authorized dentists to act as physicians and graduated medical students early. Hospitals lengthened hours, discharged patients who were the least ill, and accepted only urgent cases. They made accommodations in halls, offices, and tents. In addition, gymnasiums, state armories, parish halls, and other places were used as makeshift
(Lessons from the past) Influenza mortality curves by age at death are usually U-shaped, with the peaks in the very young and the very old age range and low mortality in the age groups in between. The third mortality peak among young adults( in the W-shaped curve accounted for approximately half of the total influenza deaths, and although the mortality rate was higher at all ages, the mortality peak associated with the elderly was less pronounced than in the other age groups. There is no definite explanation for the excess mortality in persons 20-40. One theory takes into account that these young adults were born during the 1878-1898 timeframe in which there was only wide circulation of an H3 influenza virus, and a vigorous immune response essentially destroyed their lungs in an attempt to wipe out the virus. Another theory attributes the prevalence of cases due to higher rate of exposure among the young adults. The mortality increase in the elderly was less pronounced than the other peaks of the mortality curve and may be explained by this age group’s previous exposure to a related flu virus. …show more content…
(Morens) The most difficult challenge was to increase medical capacity, resource availability, and public-health responses. Over one-third of physicians and nurses were serving overseas, and the flu further reduced the number of available healthcare workers, including orderlies, custodians, cooks, caregivers, pharmacists, laboratory workers and other personnel. Fear and tremendous case loads also took a toll on available personnel. The Red Cross sent out its Volunteer Medical Service Corps, which was a reserve of civilian doctors not serving overseas, and states authorized dentists to act as physicians and graduated medical students early. Hospitals lengthened hours, discharged patients who were the least ill, and accepted only urgent cases. They made accommodations in halls, offices, and tents. In addition, gymnasiums, state armories, parish halls, and other places were used as makeshift