FAMILY HISTORY
My father’s father (my grandfather) died of the Spanish flu on January 19, 1919 in Utah. He was not in the service. He was the only member of the family that died. He left a wife and seven children. Subsequent research seems to show that the victims of the Spanish flu had massive lung infections. Apparently, the flu spread quickly and victims died within about six days. The Spanish flu outbreak, which continued for about two years, is known as the most-deadly pandemic ever.
COVID-19 — THE CORONAVIRUS IS DIFFERENT (2002-2004)
Coronavirus does not cause the flu. It’s more like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome, with cough, fever and shortness of breath.
WE STILL HOPE TO DEVELOP A VACCINE FOR 2020
Although Edward Jenner developed a vaccine to inoculate against smallpox in 1796, little was known about the details of viruses or vaccines. We have subsequently learned a lot and now can develop vaccines nearly as needed. There is no vaccine for the coronavirus as yet. (There is a quest for a universal vaccine against viruses, but viruses mutate quickly and a universal vaccine is elusive.) The government is attempting to slow the outbreak of COVID-19. If they are successful, that will give more time to develop a vaccine.
THE MOST RECENT PANDEMIC IN HISTORY
We look back to the 2009 breakout for some answers. The 2009 pandemic was an H1N1 similar to 1918 but was not nearly as severe. The 2009 epidemic peaked after about 20 weeks. It took 26 weeks to develop the vaccine for the 2009 pandemic so the vaccine was late and missed much of the outbreak. What we did do was largely the same as 1918. Isolate. Control. Manage.
CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS.
We still must rely on managing an outbreak by avoiding crowds, avoiding travel and distancing ourselves from others. Keep healthy. Protect the immune system. Use common sense. Coronavirus is spread person-to-person. Avoid sneezes. Don’t touch hair, face, clothes and wash hands often. Avoid contaminated surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, toilets and sinks. (Use a tissue once and throw it away in the trash.)
FROM THE CDC.
I read a well-written, fascinating article on the history of the Spanish flu and other pandemics. In 1918 little was known. We couldn’t even fight secondary (biological) infection with penicillin until it was developed in 1928. We have since learned the genetics of viruses and now know they come in types. The 1918 virus was H1N1. 1957 was H2N2. The 1968 virus was H3N2. In 2009 the virus (H1N1) was similar to the 1918 virus but less severe with lower mortality rates.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/reconstruction-1918-virus.html#background retrieved on March 20, 2020
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