Avian Flu History Is Repeating Itself

Influenza has caused mass devastation and death throughout history. Just in the past century, our history has been marked by flu epidemics. Until the flu vaccine was created in the 1970s, there was little hope for victims of the virus—almost all people who were affected by it died shortly after infection.

The history of influenza is a sordid one, but we have managed to overcome all obstacles on that front. Yet, history, with the arrival of the avian flu, threatens to repeat itself with a dangerous variation of the virus that is largely unprecedented.

A Recent Development

The danger was not present with avian flu throughout history. In fact, it has only been evident in the past ten years. Up until 1997, the avian flu only occurred among birds. While this flu frequently resulted in the mass killing of turkeys, ducks and chickens, the consequences for humans were minimal.

The first case of a human affected by the avian flu in history occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. Since then, people in China, Cambodia and Indonesia have caught the virus. In most cases, the avian flu is fatal. While people can only catch the virus from birds, not other people, the fact that the avian flu has managed to adapt itself to the human body is a major setback in the history of avian flu and medical achievement.

By 2005, about 60 people in mostly Asian countries had died from the avian flu. In the United States, the disease has yet to spread from bird to person. However, this possibility is one that makes the rush for a solution even more urgent.

A Vital Vaccine

The international community has responded to the avian flu crisis in various ways, with many of them preparing for history’s largest avian flu epidemic. The United States banned poultry exports from affected countries, while China quarantined the victims. The World Health Organization in 2005 made it a priority to find a vaccine for the bird flu, but despite our history of influenza vaccines, to this day there is not a vaccine for this virus.

The Future Of Influenza

Many people thought that their worries of the flu were over with the creation of the flu vaccine in the 1970s. However, the avian flu presents a new problem that the world is currently unequipped to deal with. If researchers take into account recent history, they may be able to find a vaccine in time to prevent the next epidemic. However, this ring of hope is unfortunately not something that can be counted on.