Could The 1918 Pandemic Influenza Happen Again?

The last great plague to hit humanity was the Spanish influenza outbreak of 1918. If you recognize that date, you know this was a bad time for a pandemic of influenza to break. The pandemic of influenza would eventually kill more people than World War I, with an estimated 30 million casualties. (Some estimates put the number as high as 40 million). This happened less than a century ago – a mere blink of an eye in the body of time. Could such a plague like the 1918 influenza pandemic happen again?

Don’t Hold Your Breath

It is highly unlikely that there would be such an intense kill-off like the 1918 influenza pandemic ever again, unless the world falls into a sudden disaster which makes routine hygiene and distributions of medicines and aid impossible. Although there have been many popular novels and movies about killer diseases such as Michael Chrichton's "The Andromeda Strain" (1969), you can place plagues on the extinct list.

We have several factors today that were not available in 1918 which contributed to the pandemic of influenza with such devastation. First off, we know what causes disease. There were barely any hygienic practices in 1918. If you got sick, you basically sat in a corner until you got better or you died. Care is much better today, even in underdeveloped countries.

There have also been incredible advances in medicines and the administration of these medicines in the last 90 years. Penicillin wasn't even around in 1918, let alone some of the super-strong antibiotics of today. We also know about inoculations, which were unheard of for 1918.

The Latest Candidate

There has been a lot of ink spilled about an avian bird flu pandemic in the near future of the world. The odds of a pandemic ever happening from bird flu are astronomical. You have more chance of being hit by a car or writing a best-selling novel. However, if you are a bird, you have a lot to worry about bird flu. But if you're a human being (and presumably you are if you're reading this) than you really have much better things to worry about.

Our bodies are also far more resistant to biological invaders than back in 1918. We are better fed, have better shelter (in some aspects) and know some rudimentary hygienic practices. There also are a lot more roads and ways of people to find others in trouble than in 1918.