The New Black Death:
Influenza, and the Era of Global Spread!
Introduction
Influenza, commonly referred to as the
flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the
family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses), that
affects birds and mammals.
The most common symptoms of the disease
are chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe
headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. Fever
and coughs are the most frequent symptoms. In more serious
cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal,
particularly for the young and the elderly. Although it is
often confused with the common cold, influenza is a much
more severe disease and is caused by a different type of
virus. Influenza may produce nausea and vomiting,
particularly in children, but these symptoms are more common
in the unrelated disease gastroenteritis, which is sometimes
called "stomach flu" or "24-hour flu".
Typically, influenza is transmitted through the air by
coughs or sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus.
Influenza can also be transmitted by bird droppings, saliva,
nasal secretions, feces and blood. Infections also occur
through contact with these body fluids or with contaminated
surfaces. Airborne aerosols may be responsible for most
infections, although which of the various means of
transmission is most important is not absolutely clear.
Influenza viruses can be inactivated
(killed) by sunlight, disinfectants and detergents. As the
virus can be inactivated by soap, frequent hand washing
reduces the risk of infection.
Flu spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics,
resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands annually —
millions in pandemic years.
Three influenza pandemics occurred in the
20th century and killed tens of millions of people, with
each of these pandemics being caused by the appearance of a
new strain of the virus in humans. Often, these new strains
result from the spread of an existing flu virus to humans
from other animal species.
BIRD FLU: An avian strain named H5N1
raised the concern of a new influenza pandemic, after it
emerged in Asia in the 1990s, but it has not mutated to a
form that spreads easily between people yet.
SWINE FLU 2009: In April 2009 a novel flu
strain that combined genes from human, pig, and bird flu,
initially dubbed "swine flu", emerged in Mexico, the United
States, and several other nations. By late April, the new
strain was suspected of having killed over 150 in Mexico,
and prompted concern that a new pandemic is imminent.
However, confirmed cases were lower, with only 10 deaths by
the end of April, 9 in Mexico and only 1 in the US. By
the first week of May, only one death had been reported in
the U.S.
VACCINATIONS: Vaccinations against influenza are
usually given to people in developed countries and to farmed
poultry. The most common human vaccine is the trivalent
influenza vaccine (TIV) that contains purified and
inactivated material from three viral strains. Typically,
this vaccine includes material from two influenza A virus
subtypes and one influenza B virus strain. The TIV carries
no risk of transmitting the disease, and it has very low
reactivity. A vaccine formulated for one year may be
ineffective in the following year, since the influenza virus
evolves rapidly, and different strains become dominant.
Antiviral drugs can be used to treat influenza, with
neuraminidase inhibitors being particularly effective.
The word Influenza comes from the Italian
language and refers to the cause of the disease; initially,
this ascribed illness to unfavorable astrological
influences. Changes in medical thought led to its
modification to influenza del freddo, meaning "influence of
the cold". The word influenza was first used in English in
1743 when it was adopted, with an anglicized pronunciation,
during an outbreak of the disease in Europe. Archaic terms
for influenza include epidemic catarrh, grippe (from the
French), sweating sickness, and Spanish fever (particularly
for the 1918 pandemic strain).
A Typical Influenza Virus
Influenza A virus subtype
H5N1, also known as "bird flu," A(H5N1) or simply H5N1,
is a subtype of the Influenza A virus which can cause
illness in humans and many other animal species. The
bird-adapted strain
of H5N1, called HPAI A(H5N1) for "highly pathogenic
avian influenza" virus of type A of subtype H5N1, is the
agent of H5N1 flu, commonly known as "avian influenza" or "bird flu". (see below)
Cytokine Storm
- The Real Killer!
Flu actually convinces
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Swine Flu: H1N1
Influenza A (H1N1) virus is a subtype of
influenza A virus and the most common cause of influenza
(flu) in humans. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans
and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and
a small fraction of all seasonal influenza. H1N1 strains
caused a few percent all human flu infections in 2004–2005.
Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs (swine influenza)
and in birds (avian influenza).
In June 2009, the World Health Organization declared the new
strain of swine-origin H1N1 as a pandemic. This strain is
often called swine flu by the public media.
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The 1918 Spanish
Flu Pandemic
The 1918 flu (commonly and incorrectly
referred to as the Spanish flu) was an influenza pandemic
that spread to nearly every part of the world. It was caused
by an unusually virulent and deadly Influenza A virus strain
of subtype H1N1. Historical and epidemiological data are
inadequate to identify the geographic origin of the virus.
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Modern Avian
Influenza H5N1
Avian influenza, sometimes Avian flu, and
commonly Bird flu, refers to "influenza caused by viruses
adapted to birds."
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