9 ms·

The flu that transformed the 20th Century

51 points by nairteashop 8y ago

escherplex 8y ago
Currently there is concern that the new form of the H7N9 virus in China could morph into a form as lethal as the 1918 Spanish flu which killed up to five percent of world's population. Forewarned is forearmed. But it seems: China Has Withheld Samples of a Dangerous Flu Virus https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/health/china-flu-virus-samples.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/health/china-flu-virus-sa... so possible development of vaccines has been hampered.
- craftyguy 8y ago
  > so possible development of vaccines has been hampered. That wouldn't prevent the Chinese from developing a vaccine...
  - bobthepanda 8y ago
    Better to have multiple heads working on one problem and have one race to finish first, like with Ebola. Will the Chinese develop one on their own in time if an outbreak actually happens?
    - craftyguy 8y ago
      > Better to have multiple heads working on one problem Yea, I know. > Will the Chinese develop one on their own in time if an outbreak actually happens? Maybe they already have one?
- DenisM 8y ago
  Somehow NIH believes it's all good? [...] Two new clinical trials testing an experimental vaccine to prevent influenza caused by an H7N9 influenza virus are now enrolling volunteers at sites across the United States [...] March 15, 2018 [1] https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/h7n9-influenza-vaccine-clinical-trials-begin https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/h7n9-influenza...
metalliqaz 8y ago
The article prominently cites the fact that the 20-40 yr old population had not been exposed to H1N1 and thus their immune system was not primed to fight it. I wonder, then, if we are better equipped today because of increased globalization as well as widespread use of flu vaccines. Virus strains can fly all over the world easier than they could 100 years ago, so there is more 'mixing'. At the same time, we are getting a flu shot every year with the current batch of popular strains. By the time we reach the age of 20, we have likely been exposed to most subtypes of Influenza.
- classicsnoot 8y ago
  I am not an Anti-vax person, but I am leery of the Flu Vaccine. Could you help me understand why it is better to be immunized against last year's flu instead of surviving this year's flu? If this isn't the place and/or you aren't the person, I'd appreciate a gentle nudge in the right direction. Thanks!
  - chimeracoder 8y ago
    > I am not an Anti-vax person, but I am leery of the Flu Vaccine. Could you help me understand why it is better to be immunized against last year's flu instead of surviving this year's flu? If this isn't the place and/or you aren't the person, I'd appreciate a gentle nudge in the right direction. Thanks! It is not that you're immunized against "last year's flu"; the flu virus mutates, and in designing a vaccine for what we predict is going to be this year's flu, taking into account what ended up being the dominant strain last year is a good input. The NYTimes has a good piece explaining why it's better to get the flu shot than to get the flu: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/health/lets-talk-a-millennial-into-getting-a-flu-shot.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/health/lets-talk-a-millen... One thing they don't mention, though, is that, while the flu shot doesn't ensure that you won't get the flu, it does decrease the severity of your illness and symptoms if you do end up getting the flu. Which, if your alternative scenario is "surviving this year's flu" is still a win.
    - kazinator 8y ago
beautifulfreak 8y ago
PBS did a documentary I happened to watch last month. It reveals that mailmen were a serious vector of transmission, even when quarantines were put in place. Medicine's main disadvantage was not understanding that it was viral and airborne, so that quarantines could be more effective. Doctors were looking for a bacterial cause up to the end of the pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0juBE-ra3A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0juBE-ra3A

51 points by nairteashop 8y ago

Currently there is concern that the new form of the H7N9 virus in China could morph into a form as lethal as the 1918 Spanish flu which killed up to five percent of world's population. Forewarned is forearmed. But it seems: China Has Withheld Samples of a Dangerous Flu Virus https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/health/china-flu-virus-samples.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/health/china-flu-virus-sa... so possible development of vaccines has been hampered.

craftyguy 8y ago
> so possible development of vaccines has been hampered. That wouldn't prevent the Chinese from developing a vaccine...
- bobthepanda 8y ago
  Better to have multiple heads working on one problem and have one race to finish first, like with Ebola. Will the Chinese develop one on their own in time if an outbreak actually happens?
  - craftyguy 8y ago
    > Better to have multiple heads working on one problem Yea, I know. > Will the Chinese develop one on their own in time if an outbreak actually happens? Maybe they already have one?
DenisM 8y ago
Somehow NIH believes it's all good? [...] Two new clinical trials testing an experimental vaccine to prevent influenza caused by an H7N9 influenza virus are now enrolling volunteers at sites across the United States [...] March 15, 2018 [1] https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/h7n9-influenza-vaccine-clinical-trials-begin https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/h7n9-influenza...

metalliqaz 8y ago

The article prominently cites the fact that the 20-40 yr old population had not been exposed to H1N1 and thus their immune system was not primed to fight it. I wonder, then, if we are better equipped today because of increased globalization as well as widespread use of flu vaccines. Virus strains can fly all over the world easier than they could 100 years ago, so there is more 'mixing'. At the same time, we are getting a flu shot every year with the current batch of popular strains. By the time we reach the age of 20, we have likely been exposed to most subtypes of Influenza.

classicsnoot 8y ago
I am not an Anti-vax person, but I am leery of the Flu Vaccine. Could you help me understand why it is better to be immunized against last year's flu instead of surviving this year's flu? If this isn't the place and/or you aren't the person, I'd appreciate a gentle nudge in the right direction. Thanks!
- chimeracoder 8y ago
  > I am not an Anti-vax person, but I am leery of the Flu Vaccine. Could you help me understand why it is better to be immunized against last year's flu instead of surviving this year's flu? If this isn't the place and/or you aren't the person, I'd appreciate a gentle nudge in the right direction. Thanks! It is not that you're immunized against "last year's flu"; the flu virus mutates, and in designing a vaccine for what we predict is going to be this year's flu, taking into account what ended up being the dominant strain last year is a good input. The NYTimes has a good piece explaining why it's better to get the flu shot than to get the flu: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/health/lets-talk-a-millennial-into-getting-a-flu-shot.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/health/lets-talk-a-millen... One thing they don't mention, though, is that, while the flu shot doesn't ensure that you won't get the flu, it does decrease the severity of your illness and symptoms if you do end up getting the flu. Which, if your alternative scenario is "surviving this year's flu" is still a win.
  - kazinator 8y ago

beautifulfreak 8y ago

PBS did a documentary I happened to watch last month. It reveals that mailmen were a serious vector of transmission, even when quarantines were put in place. Medicine's main disadvantage was not understanding that it was viral and airborne, so that quarantines could be more effective. Doctors were looking for a bacterial cause up to the end of the pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0juBE-ra3A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0juBE-ra3A