Bird Flu Threat - Black Death, Spanish Flu, Asian Flu, Hong Kong Flu, SARS
| ||
Home Important Links Know of an important link about Bird Flu? Please let me know so that it can be added. Thank you! |
Pandemics in HistoryPandemics are not new, however a number of conditions must be met before a pandemic can occur - this is why they occur infrequently. Black Death: In the 1300s Black Death spread throughout Europe and was responsible for the deaths of one quarter of the population of Europe. The disease is believed to have started in China earlier in the century and the Chinese are thought to have used infected bodies to contaminate their enemies. This helped the disease to spread as did ships that are thought to have carried the disease to Europe and the Mediterranean. Black death was spread by fleas that were carried by rats and other rodents. Because towns were overcrowded and unsanitary at the time, there was little to prevent the disease from spreading. Black death also wreaked havoc on the European economies at the time with a labor shortage due to the number of deaths. Schools and universities closed as well. Spanish Flu: (1918-1919) The Spanish Flu Pandemic Influenza is hailed as being possibly the worst influenza pandmic to date. The Spanish Flu killed more people in a single year than the Black Death caused in Europe over 4 years. The source of Spanish Flu was not widely known, but its effects were swift and often fatal. Shipping and trade helped spread the disease which occurred during the last year of World War 1. Up to one quarter of America was affected, and one fifth of the worldwide population. Asian Flu: 1957 Early in 1957 an Asian Influenza virus was discovered. Science and technological advances meant that the world was able to quickly respond to this threat, and the impact was much less severe than it might otherwise have been. While infections spread easily amongst younger people, the highest death rate from the Asian Influenza was in elderly people. Hong Kong Flu: (1968-1972) Yet another Pandemic Influenza to originate in Asia. The Hong Kong flu was responsible for a significant number of deaths, however, the flu was often treatable and controllable with antibiotics. SARS: 2003 (severe acute respiratory syndrome). In 2003 Hong Kong came under seige from the SARS virus. SARS originated in mainland China and was spread to other countries through international travel. In all, SARS caused more than 800 deaths, but there have been no reported cases in recent times.
|
|