Many people think of Influenza, also known as the flu, as a common cold or a stomach bug that will pass over in the matter of a day. Yet true influenza is a specific category of viruses that can be very dangerous and many people tend to underestimate it. When it comes to the flu there are many aspects surrounding it. This includes historical outbreaks of the virus, the causes of worldwide pandemics, and ways the virus may be prevented.
There are three main types of this virus. “All three types can infect humans; however only type A can cause a pandemic. Type B causes severe illness and death in humans but only mild epidemics. Type C causes only mild illness in people” (Barbour 11). The common cold would be an example of a type C virus. There …show more content…
“Since the 16th century more than 30 influenza pandemics…have been described and documented.” (“Influenza”). There is a multitudinous amount of accounts of influenza pandemic outbreaks throughout history. The three that impacted the world the most were the Spanish flu pandemic, H1N1, and H5N1. “The deadliest influenza pandemic by far was the 1918-1920 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed between 40 million in state and 100 million people worldwide.” (Barbour 6). This pandemic was said to be the fourth on, “the list of economic disasters since 1870, behind WWI, WWII and the Great Depression” (Barbour 25). Also, the Spanish flu had “a mortality rate of 2.5% and killed [an estimate of] 50 million people” (Clemmitt 8). There were many families and cities affected by the Spanish flu. There is one man, William H. Sardo Jr, who recalls his families struggle and the things that his town had to …show more content…
But H1N1 is different, “H1N1 first appeared in Mexico in late April, and by the time of the World Health Organization’s announcement, there were 30,00 confirmed cases in 24 countries.” This epidemic ravaged many of the countries around the world. And since the United States was in fear of another repeat of pandemics in the past, this vaccine was distributed for no cost at many local schools to the students. As seen in data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the cases of Swine Flu have dropped down to 19 known cases in the United States since 2005. As seen in the table above, Swine Flu killed more than 284,500 as of 2014. H5N1, also known to many as the Avian Flu, also wreaked havoc upon the worldwide population “Since 1997, based on the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reporting criteria for avian influenza in commercial poultry, the United States has experienced
There are three main types of this virus. “All three types can infect humans; however only type A can cause a pandemic. Type B causes severe illness and death in humans but only mild epidemics. Type C causes only mild illness in people” (Barbour 11). The common cold would be an example of a type C virus. There …show more content…
“Since the 16th century more than 30 influenza pandemics…have been described and documented.” (“Influenza”). There is a multitudinous amount of accounts of influenza pandemic outbreaks throughout history. The three that impacted the world the most were the Spanish flu pandemic, H1N1, and H5N1. “The deadliest influenza pandemic by far was the 1918-1920 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed between 40 million in state and 100 million people worldwide.” (Barbour 6). This pandemic was said to be the fourth on, “the list of economic disasters since 1870, behind WWI, WWII and the Great Depression” (Barbour 25). Also, the Spanish flu had “a mortality rate of 2.5% and killed [an estimate of] 50 million people” (Clemmitt 8). There were many families and cities affected by the Spanish flu. There is one man, William H. Sardo Jr, who recalls his families struggle and the things that his town had to …show more content…
But H1N1 is different, “H1N1 first appeared in Mexico in late April, and by the time of the World Health Organization’s announcement, there were 30,00 confirmed cases in 24 countries.” This epidemic ravaged many of the countries around the world. And since the United States was in fear of another repeat of pandemics in the past, this vaccine was distributed for no cost at many local schools to the students. As seen in data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the cases of Swine Flu have dropped down to 19 known cases in the United States since 2005. As seen in the table above, Swine Flu killed more than 284,500 as of 2014. H5N1, also known to many as the Avian Flu, also wreaked havoc upon the worldwide population “Since 1997, based on the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reporting criteria for avian influenza in commercial poultry, the United States has experienced