Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918 was truly a world-shaking event. The numbers of dead are estimated to be somewhere between 50 and 100 million people, and it is estimated that the numbers of those who were infected and survived may have reached as high as five to ten times the number of dead. Almost one in three human beings alive in 1918 would be infected by the virus. But in particular, the epidemic had a number of longer lasting effects on the history of America, which it is worth examining in closer detail. From a scientific standpoint, the Spanish influenza was nothing remarkable: it followed the standard path of an influenza virus, in making the leap from an animal host population into infecting humans. The best contemporary efforts to reconstruct the disease's origin suspect that it either leapt directly from birds to humans, or else the avian flu transmitted to swine first, and thereafter to humans. In any case, its origins and methods of transmission were no different in basic features from earlier and later influenza epidemics: the chief difference was the ability of the Spanish Flu to involve pneumonia, making it particularly fatal. Yet the largest historical irony of the epidemic, as noted by Crosby, is that the Spanish influenza pandemic came at a time when medical science had been making huge advances...
Crosby gives the details of medical progress unto that point:
Swine Flu You remember the great swine flu epidemic of 2009, right? Really, you don't remember the school's being closed across the country after the first wave of fatalities? And how people stopped eating pork to such an extent that farmers simply slaughtered most of their pigs and then burned the meat? You don't remember that? Well, of course not. No-one does, because it didn't happen. It also true that no
In the event of such an epidemic, it is reasonable to assume that public health departments will be pressed to find ways to maintain their services even when employees are ill, normal supply chains are disrupted, and the nation's infrastructure is inoperative; furthermore, the traditional roles of environmental health professionals can also be expected to change in dramatic ways during a period of pandemic influenza (Fabian, 2006). As U.S. Secretary
PANDEMIC CONTAINMENTPandemics and Best Practices for ContainmentIntroductionSince the earliest moments of civilization, humanity has been plagued by disease. However, it would be prudent to note that although man has been afflicted by various diseases, very few disease outbreaks have achieved the pandemic status. Some of the worst pandemics known to man have been inclusive of, but they are not limited to; Black Death (1346-1353), Plague of Justinian (541-442), Smallpox (1500),
Air traffic has continued to increase and it now constitutes a considerable proportion of the travelling public. The amount of long-hour flights has increased significantly. Based on the International Civil Aviation authority, air traffic can be anticipated to double amid till 2020. Airline travel, especially over longer distances, makes air travelers vulnerable to numerous facets that will impact their health and well-being. Particularly, the speed with which influenza spreads and
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