100 Years after the Lethal 1918 Flu Pandemic, We Are Still Vulnerable
By Catharine I. Paules, Anthony S. Fauci on September 15, 2017
In 2018 the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the most devastating infectious disease event in recorded history: the 1918 influenza pandemic.
The severity of the event, which caused an estimated 50 million to 100 million deaths worldwide, likely resulted from several factors: First, most of the global population probably had no preexisting immune protection to the brand-new virus that had emerged. Evidence from the study of viral genes suggests the 1918 flu virus originated from an avian source and then somehow adapted to circulate efficiently in humans. Second, inherent properties of this virus may have contributed to its pathogenicity—the mechanisms by which it caused illness. Finally, efforts to control the spread of the pandemic and prevent morbidity and mortality were limited by conditions and technologies of the time. Crowding and poor sanitation allowed for rampant disease transmission, especially in areas where access to health care was limited. Antivirals to treat influenza were not available in 1918, and infections often were complicated by fatal bacterial pneumonias for which there were no effective antibiotics.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/100-years-after-the-lethal-1918-flu-pandemic-we-are-still-vulnerable/
