The 1918 epidemic spread in three waves, from the spring of 1918 to the winter of 1919 – eventually killing 50 million to 100 million people globally. The first wave in the spring of 1918 was relatively light. Most of the 1918 deaths occurred in the fall of 1918 – the second and worst flu outbreak of 1918.
Health experts expect Kovid-19 infection to increase this winter because the virus that causes Kovid-19 is a coronavirus, and other coronaviruses spread more during the winter. In winter, in low-humidity air, the particles carried by the virus stay in the air longer. In addition, our nasal membranes are dry and more susceptible to winter infections. And as the weather cools, we spend more time indoors without adequate ventilation, which increases the likelihood of the virus spreading.
Covid-1 “A” has not yet claimed the lives of many people like influenza. Basically, about 675,000 people died in the U.S. by the end of the 1918 epidemic, “said Dr. Jeremy Brown, an emergency care physician and author of the Influenza. There will be 3 million people in. The good news is that we haven’t seen those numbers – of course, the numbers are really awful.
“But, of course, the story we’re talking about isn’t over yet,” Brown said.
Why the second wave was so deadly
There are many possibilities as to why the second wave of 1918 was so frightening, including the virus, which could potentially mut mutt and its examples Human movement and behavior at that time. Winter meant that influenza also spread more and people lived indoors more often.
“My guess is that it wasn’t the best way to infect people in the spring and it had to be adapted,” said John M. “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Epidemic in History,” Berry said. “Then came the change that was very good at infecting people and even more viral.”
In 1918 flu patients, pneumonia often developed rapidly and people were killed the next day. Efforts for World War I were undertaken, so massive spread was facilitated by military movements and military camps.
The virus also spread where military personnel traveled – resulting in U.S. Influenza and pneumonia of Army and Navy personnel decreased by 20% to 40%, interfering with induction, training and effectiveness. “Influenza and pneumonia killed more American soldiers and sailors than the enemy’s weapons during the war,” a 2010 study report said.
Six days after the first case of influenza was reported at Camp Devens in Massachusetts, the number of cases has risen to 6,744. When Colonel Victor c. It was shocking when Vaughn remembered Camp Devons. Gina Kolata, a science and medical journalist at the New York Times, wrote in her book “The Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Epidemic” and the virus that causes it. ”
Kolata wrote, “In the midst of the first war to use modern weapons, the war was not here, with war machine guns and gas combat declining the youth, and it was nothing compared to this illness.”
There was a huge obstacle a Lack of knowledge of the character, behavior and severity of the virus. Awareness of what an epidemic virus looks like and how to differentiate and learn from it came before. The reversal of the second wave caused some people and doctors to feel that they were dealing with a different disease from a recovery disease.
Flu death peaks in November 1918, with the potential for an epidemic. It was the busiest month. Thousands of attendees at the Philadelphia Parade on Armistice Day on November 11 contracted the flu.
Social impact
The 1918 flu tore the fabric of society. Contrary to the current epidemic, about half of all deaths occur in young adults between the ages of 20 and 40, with older adults more likely to have serious illness and death from covid-19.
Many events, schools and public spaces were canceled and closed. “The ghost of fear has gone everywhere, causing many family circles to reunite because the different members had nothing else but to stay at home,” Kolata was quoted as saying by an Arizona newspaper.
Officials imposed mask-wearing and anti-spitting laws. City officials took disciplinary action, including fines, against those who violated the rules. Despite the needs of the people of Europe, the U.S. The Army’s Provost Marshal General canceled a draft call of 142,000 men in October.
Adult tolls mean that many children have lost one or both parents. Generations of young people around the world lost their lives, and for them the epidemic and World War I became the central experiences of their lives.
The benefits of modern times
Now, let’s move on to the year 2020. Multiple scientific advances have given us little advantage in reducing the spread of respiratory diseases such as the flu and Covid-19 and its effects. Technological advances have allowed researchers to see cells and viruses through electron microscopes and X-ray crystallography, enabling them to capture millions of images. Microbiologists can now isolate, identify, and describe the structure of the virus.
Although we have coronavirus tests, one drawback is that “we don’t have enough testing capacity and the tests take so long,” Kolata said. “And when you start doing something like a coronavirus where the symptoms are flu – a high fever, a cold – which can mimic – you can really strip the test system if the flu season really starts.”
Thankfully, we are not in a global war. HindSite and years of scientific progress have taught us how respiratory diseases spread by encounter through respiratory diseases were facilitated by close contact and inadequate hygiene. However, in order to be effective, these scientific and medical benefits require public compliance.
What can we do?
Although Covid-19 cases are on the rise and could spike this winter, there are things we can do to stop the spread. Precautions such as physical distance, avoiding gatherings and unnecessary travel, hand washing and wearing masks are still important.
Collection of groceries, medical and emergency preparedness items – responsibly and so on Thinking of others – can help limit trips to stores, thus reducing the likelihood of spread.
In 1918, there was no valid and regulated vaccine. With the coronavirus at the moment, Operation Operation Rope Speed and other programs are testing vaccines to be able to potentially inoculate the public by spring 2021.
Updates and guidance from your local public health officials and the U.S. Department of Disease Control and Prevention. There is also the scientific knowledge of researchers and organizations like the Centers and the World Health Organization, and the scientific knowledge of the World Health Organization, which is still very valuable.
“If all social distance and masks are effective against coronavirus, it can be effective against the flu if we are lucky,” Kolata said. “I hope people get flu vaccines – it’s not that they’re 100% effective but they’re definitely better than nothing.”
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