Which are the past and present influenza pandemics?

The novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has spread to almost every country in the world ever since it was first recorded in China last year, drawing parallels with some of history’s most deadly pandemics from 1900 to now. A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease. From 1900, there have been four influenza pandemics. They are:

The Spanish flu shook the world towards the end of WWI. It was the most severe pandemic that claimed the lives of at least 50 million people between 1918 and 1919. The crowded conditions of military camps and the poor nutrition of people during wartime contributed to its spread. Initially observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia, it had infected nearly 500 million people, mostly youngsters. Despite its name, it did not originate in Spain. As Spain was a neutral side during the war, its media could publish uncensored reports about the illness and the name stuck. Scientists are still unsure of the source of the flu, which was caused by an H1N1 virus of avian origin.

The Asian flu claimed the lives of 1.1 million people worldwide between 1957 and 1958. It was in early 1957 that a new influenza A (H2N2) virus emerged in East Asia, which triggered the pandemic said to be a new combination of avian and human flu viruses, it subsequently spread to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, India, the U.K. and the U.S. It affected both the young and the elderly. A vaccine developed and deployed soon after slowed down its spread.

The Hong Kong flu emerged in 1968. Caused by a strain of H3N2 virus which descended from H2N2, it was largely seen as a result of the Asian flu of 1957. The third flu pandemic of the 20th Century claimed the lives of 1 million people.

The Swine flu outbreak claimed the lives of over 5 lakh people between 2009-10. It was initially detected only in people with regular exposure to pigs. Caused by a new strain of H1N1 which originated in Mexico, the Swine flu mostly affected children and youngsters. In about a year, 1.4 billion people worldwide were infected by the vines. Swine flu is a highly contagious respiratory condition. A vaccine has been developed for it.

The 1980s and AIDS: HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) leads to AIDS (acute immunodeficiency syndrome) in humans, if left untreated. This virus deeply affects the immune system, especially the cells that help the body fight off infections. HIV was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Scientists traced its source to a virus found in the chimps in Africa, which most likely mutated and crossed over to humans. The virus steadily spread to several parts of the world. AIDS was declared a pandemic in the 1980s. It is estimated to have claimed over 30 million people worldwide, with millions more still infected. Till date, no effective cure has been developed.

COVID-19: The coronavirus outbreak emerged in Wuhan City. China, in December 2019. It is a zoonotic disease caused by the novel SARS-CON-2 which most likely came from bats. The World Health Organisation announced COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020. As the novel coronavirus causes respiratory problems and can be transmitted from person to person standard precautionary measures such as frequent hand washing maintaining social distancing and mask wearing are being followed Scientists are racing against time to develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 which has already claimed over a million lives.

 

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