Next year will mark the 90th anniversary of the great influenza pandemic of 1918, an event widely considered to be one of the greatest natural disasters in human history. Influenza is thus a chameleon, constantly changing its colours to hide from the immune system. The influenza virus is both one of the most common and one of the deadliest viruses to which humans are exposed. Influenza a virus is a highly mutable virus with frequent antigenic drift and occasional antigenic shift. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. Flu is an infectious disease caused by a virus found in birds and mammals.
Pandemic means an outbreak of influenza or flu virus that quickly spreads around the world. The term avian means bird, and avian flu is adapted to infect birds. Although the virus seems to have caused epidemics throughout human history, historical data on influenza are difficult to interpret, because the symptoms. Influenza diagnosis clinical and epidemiological characteristics increase of febrile respiratory illness lab isolation of influenza virus from clinical specimen e. Mar 21, 2018 the 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. Pandemic influenza fact sheet what is pandemic influenza. The flu may cause mild to severe illness, and may even lead to death. The influenza pandemic of 19181919 killed more people, somewhere between 20 and 40 million worldwide, than the total number of fatalities in world war i. Subtypes of the type a influenza virus are identified by two antigens influenza virus proteins called hemagglu. It also has students explore where influenza viruses come from, how viruses change, and why some become deadly. Influenza fact sheet virginia department of health. Viruses free math worksheets, free phonics worksheets, math. In light of the covid19 crisis, and the many disruptions it has caused or will cause to our kids education, i am offering subscriptions to the upgraded site at 80% off the normal price through july.
Immune responses in both plants and animals occur naturally and can be artificially stimulated in animals by inoculation i. The centers for disease control and prevention s pandemic flu storybook provides readers with an intimate look at the impact pandemic flu events have had on both survivors and the families and friends of nonsurvivors. Influenza is spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing. The influenza pandemic webquest uses a very student friendly website that covers the important history and has many facts about the pandemic and daily life in 1918. Influenza fact sheet what is influenza also called flu. Influenza is an infectious disease commonly characterized by fever, muscles aches, sore throat, headache, and fatigue. The great influenza pandemic of 19181920 killed up to 100 million people. Most viruses are unable to be seen even with an optical microscope. The epidemic claimed soldiers since yesterday noon. Information about influenza, history of the flu, and more. Ask one group to jot down all the specific activities that contributed to the. Influenza influenza is a highly contagious viral infection that affects mainly the nose, throat, chest and lungs.
And what is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic. The best time to get the influenza vaccine is as soon as it is available, but any time during the flu season is still a good time to get vaccinated. The 1918 influenza pandemic, often called the spanish flu epidemic, is estimated to have affected 500 million people worldwide and killed 50100 million people. These viruses all belong to a group called influenza a viruses. Examples of epidemic diseases include typhus, influenza, the black death, malaria. Spanish influenza epidemic that eventually would kill at least 50 million.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemichistorys worst epidemic which killed more people than all the military deaths in world war i and world war ii combined. Mar 30, 2020 the disease behind a pandemic can cause severe illness and spread easily from one person to the next. For these drugs to work best, they need to be started within two days after you get sick with the flu. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. In the united states, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It was caused by an h1n1 virus with genes of avian origin. Some may have evolved from pieces of dna that can move between cells. Despite clinical and epidemiologic similarities to influenza pandemics of 1889, 1847, and even earlier, many questioned whether.
Pandemic lesson plan the australian institute for disaster resilience. It is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that affect the nose, throat, and lungs. This process accounts for most of the changes that occur in the viruses. Prescription medications called influenza antivirals can help treat the flu.
All european union countries have pandemic preparedness plans and. The symptoms of human influenza were clearly described by hippocrates roughly 2,400 years ago. The activation of an organisms protective systems to neutralize an invasive microbial agent. Students will gain basic knowledge about the 19181919 influenza pandemic spanish flu by completing a great internetbased worksheet.
In the very young, the elderly, and those with other serious medical conditions, infection can lead to severe complications such as pnemonia. Other epidemics include smallpox, human immunodeficiency. In a lesson that integrates history and mathematics, class members create graphs that compare military death. When influenza began to cut its deadly path across the u. Pdf the history of influenza spans 2500 years from egypt and ancient greece to the present.
The 1918 influenza pandemic was the deadliest in known human history. People may need to care for the sick in their homes. However, there is little evidence of influenza epidemics in the historical literature before the period from. These drugs can help you feel better faster and make the symptoms less intense. Learn the basics about the spread of serious diseases and what you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your community. Young historians can read about the blues, compare and contrast major holidays, complete themed word searches, play games featuring u.
Figure out how many students that would be in your class. You can test your knowledge of the influenza virus. Influenza a viruses are constantly changing, making it possible on very rare occasions for nonhuman influenza viruses to change in such a way that they can infect people easily and spread efficiently from person to person. Kids learn about epidemics and pandemics in the science of biology including how they begin, how diseases spread, and the stages of a pandemic. History of 1918 flu pandemic pandemic influenza flu cdc. In the spring of 1918, as the nation mobilized for war, private albert gitchell reported to an army hospital in kansas. Thats why washing your hands often, covering your cough and sneezing into a sleeve or a tissue will help prevent the spread of infection. The great flu epidemic of 1918 the great flu epidemic of 1918.
Viruses a virus is a small infectious agent that duplicates itself inside of another living being. Developers of vaccines must play a guessing game about which youre likely to encounter in a given year. Could a flu similar in proportion to the one of 1918 happen again. The origin of viruses in the evolutionary history of life is unclear. Influenza c causes upper respiratory tract infections in young people but is not as common as the other two types. The spanish influenza pandemic of 19181919 polk county public.
He was diagnosed with the flu, a disease doctors knew little about. Influenza a and b viruses continually undergo a type of change called antigenic drift. They simulate the creation of a dna fingerprint using flash animation, analyze barcode dna fingerprints to identify a virus, watch a video clip, and complete various online. It is generally caused by one of two types of influenza virus. Unlike current seasonal flu outbreaks, pandemics occur every few decades, the last. Influenza b is less common but may still cause outbreaks of seasonal flu and have similar symptoms. Bed rest, liquids, proper nutrition and overthecounter medicines will also help ease discomfort. The main characters of this history, science story are. Influenza is a viral infection of the lungs and airways that is also known as the flu anyone can get influenza. Treatments during an influenza pandemic hospitals, clinics and pharmacies may be overwhelmed during an influenza pandemic. Influenza fact sheet influenza is a viral infection of the lungs and airways that is also known as the flu anyone can get influenza. The flu infects the respiratory system, which is made up of the nasal passages, larynx, trachea, bronchial tubes, and lungs. Overview learn more about the flu epidemic that killed more americans than all wars of the twentieth century combined. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Creative commons attributionnoncommercialsharealike license. The history of influenza spans 2500 years from egypt and ancient greece to the present. Some of the websites referenced above indicate that it could. The stories within the pages of this book are not folklore, but personal recollections from the 1918 and 1957 events. Influenza pandemics vary, and in order to mitigate or even prevent some of their most concerning impacts there is a need for specific and general preparedness. The avian flu outbreak in 1918, also called the spanish flu, was possibly the most devastating, shortduration epidemic in history. It killed an estimated 3050 million people worldwide. The spanish influenza pandemic of 19181919 summary the influenza pandemic of 19181919 killed more people, somewhere between 20 and 40 million worldwide, than the total number of fatalities in world war i. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria and have a diameter between 20 and 300 nanometers. How the flu spreads all types of influenza spread when droplets containing the flu virus are passed from person to person.
These viral particles, also known as virions, consist of two or three parts. In addition to a total of 9 influenza cases at fort bliss, including 144 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, there are 268 pneumonia cases at the army base hospital. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. Influenza fact sheet alaska department of health and. History and evolution of influenza vaccines article pdf available in journal of preventive medicine and hygiene 523.
Tell them that the epidemic is often not even mentioned in history textbooks. The first edition of the novel was published in 2004, and was written by john m. What war was currently in progress when the influenza 1918 pandemic struck. This collection of stories was first released online in. This article describes the source of the 1918 spanish influenza epidemic, how it was transferred, what it meant to the soldiers in world war i, and how scientists handled the search for a vaccine. May 01, 2007 next year will mark the 90th anniversary of the great influenza pandemic of 1918, an event widely considered to be one of the greatest natural disasters in human history. Ask why they think such an event has not been better remembered by history. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza a virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population, begins to cause serious illness and then spreads easily persontoperson worldwide.
While influenza a viruses infect humans and other animals, influenza b viruses affects only humans, primarily children. The potential of a new flu pandemic is a frightening idea. Steve foster, associate professor, ut college of pharmacy. The flu is a type of germ called a virus that you breathe in. This curriculum explains how influenza viruses infect cells and replicate. Strains of influenza tend to come in waves, with one hxny variant dominating for some number of years, then shifting to another. This work is licensed under a creative commons attribution. Influenza pandemics, distinguished from epidemics on the basis of their geographical spread. Characteristics of 2009 h1n1 influenza pandemic in the us. Pandemic influenza fact sheet 1 what is an influenza pandemic. When a virus is not in an infected cell it exists in the form of independent particles. This october 1918 news article about the epidemic was written as the second wave of infection, which was the. Find 1918 influenza pandemic lesson plans and teaching resources. At the height of wwi, historys most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in kansas, moved east with american troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 560 pages and is available in paperback format. It takes about 2 weeks after vaccination to develop protection against the influenza virus. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 19181919. There are pictures representing specific aspects of the epidemic that help students visualize what it w. Although the virus seems to have caused epidemics throughout human history, historical data on influenza are difficult to interpret, because the symptoms can be similar to those of other respiratory diseases. Each type includes many different strains that tend to change from year to year.
Each type includes many different strains that tend to. In 1918, the cause of human influenza and its links to avian and swine influenza were unknown. Antiviral drugs like tamiflu may help ease influenzas symptoms. The flu fever, chills, cough, body aches and more are some of the symptoms of influenza, or often called the flu. The strains are also named using the origin, geographical location, strain number, and the year of discovery of the virus.
Deaths from influenza numbered 1052 and from pneumonia 1509. Nearly all major flu pandemics spreads worldwide in modern history have been caused by influenza a. But this was not the middle ages, and 1918 marked the first. Viruses infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria. The story of the deadliest pandemic in history pdf epub book. Past infection with influenza or immunization with the. As of march 2020, the world is currently dealing with a global outbreak of covid19. The story of the deadliest pandemic in history revised edition, kindle edition by john m. It killed more people in twentyfour months than aids killed in twentyfour years, more in a year than the black death killed in a century.
Despite clinical and epidemiologic similarities to influenza pandemics of 1889, 1847, and even earlier, many questioned whether such an explosively fatal disease could be. Find influenza lesson plans and teaching resources. Clarke, phd, rd, professor, extension health specialist, and codirector for the university of tennessee center for communitybased health initiatives and dr. It is caused by the influenza virus, which is a microorganism and is so small, you need a powerful microscope to see it. Tell students that from spring 1918 to winter 1919, 25 percent of americans or one out of every four people contracted the flu and about 3 percent of those who contracted the flu died from it. Keep calm and get vaccinated pdf iconpdf 37 pages cdc. These fun and engaging worksheets appeal to children across multiple learning levels and make a great addition to many u.
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