Some Of The Worst Flu Pandemics In History

Influenza is not a new virus, as it has been active for thousands of years. However, before inoculation for the virus was made available in the 1970s, the disease had the potential to devastate millions of people. This was the case in 1918, when one of the worst flu pandemics in history caused mass death and devastation on the United States. Several other, less severe flu pandemics followed. Is another one in our future?

The First And The Worst

In the history of the twentieth century, the first and worst flu pandemic occurred in 1918. Known as the Spanish Influenza, the epidemic did not actually begin in Spain. Rather, most experts today believe that this pandemic began in Fort Reilly, Kansas in the United States. Overall, this pandemic lasted barely a year and killed about 20 million people worldwide. In the United States, about 500,000 people died.

Smaller Scares

Though this is one of the most famous pandemics in the history of the flu, it is not the only one. Several other pandemics followed, each causing more damage but not nearly to the degree of the earlier tragedy. In 1957, the Asian flu killed 70,000 Americans, and 1,000,000 people around the world. This flu pandemic, the second in the history of the twentieth century, is thought to have started in China.

The last flu pandemic in the twentieth century is known as the Hong Kong Flu, and it killed about 34,000 Americans in 1968. By this time, many elderly were already immune to the virus and the strain also contained proteins that humans had already been exposed to. This contributed to the relatively low death rate.

A Future Of Fear

Though the fear of another major flu pandemic in human history lessened with the creation of a flu vaccination, a new variation of the flu has emerged and brought forth new fears. Though avian flu has existed throughout history, it is only recently that humans have begun to be affected by this virus.

This brings into question the security that the flu vaccine has allowed. Will the next pandemic be the bird flu pandemic? Will it be the worst one in history?

Learning From The Past

Because of a recent history of flu pandemics, scientists and doctors are fairly experienced in dealing with the negativities. This experience should serve them well in the case of a potential avian flu outbreak, however it might not be all they need to prevent a pandemic.