what can we learn from the yore?
H1N1 is the subtype of influenza A virus that caused 2009 flu and associated with the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak. According to various sources, the 1918 flu has claimed nearly 17-50 million lives and may reach up to 100 million, pushing it up in the list of deadliest pandemics in human history. Since viruses tend to accumulate mutations, therefore it was not strange that the 2009 pandemic was caused by a virus from the same family, Orthomyxoviridae, a new strain of H1N1. According to the CDC, within a year, the virus that caused 1918 flu had infected over 1.4 billion people across the globe and killed around 151,700-575,400 people. Comparing to the current pandemic where the elderly people are more vulnerable to the disease, the 2009 flu affected mostly youngsters and children. The CDC reported around 80% of the deaths were in people below 65 years of age group.
A Rewind to the Historical PandemicsWe, humans, evolved and reached the 21st century of modernity, disease and illnesses still haunt humanity. Extensive trade and demand for the wild animals and their derived created a whole new market with maximum possibilities for humans to come in contact with animals and ending up with such "demics". As the humans became more civilized– more the exotic trade routes and contacts shoot up with a diverse population of people, animals, and ecosystems, increasing the chances of pandemics more likely.
Some of the deadliest outbreaks in history and what we can learn from the past to the current COVID-19 event.
Despite the advances in healthcare facilities and research, the persistence of disease and pandemics are inevitable.
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