Spanish flu and new coronavirus: two pandemic stories

During the first two months of 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic appeared to be well controlled and would soon disappear. But the devastation caused by the second wave has put the country in despair, and everyone is wondering when and when it will end.

Another pandemic that was equally widespread and deadly was the Spanish flu, which devastated the world over a century ago. We delved into history to understand the similarities between the two pandemics and to get clues as to where we are heading.

Beginning

The first known case of the Spanish flu was confirmed among military personnel in Fort Riley, Kansas, USA in early March 1918. People misunderstood that the source of the virus was Spain. The virus began to spread during the war when the US military traveled to European countries, especially Britain, France, Spain and Italy. By summer, the infection had spread to different parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and New Zealand.

Also read: Two pandemics 100 years apart: Unlearned lessons

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 virus began in December 2019 with several cases of pneumonia reported in Wuhan, China. The first case of the virus outside of China was recorded in Thailand on January 13. Beyond the country, the virus has begun to spread around the world. Covid-19 was characterized as a pandemic in March 2020.

Trace the waves

The Spanish flu occurred three times, with high mortality rates under 5 years, 20-40 years, and 65 years and older. The first wave began in early March 1918 and patients showed normal flu symptoms such as fever and anxiety. The first wave was milder than the second wave, but the infection spread rapidly due to wartime migration.

The second wave was more deadly. The virus mutated in the summer and began to surge in infection from August to September 1918. Infected people suffered from severe pneumonia and fever, epistaxis, and lung damage, resulting in a surge in deaths.According to Journal of Clinical Virology, 2009, “Two-thirds of the deaths from the Spanish flu occurred between October and December 1918.”

The third wave began from the end of December 1918 to January 1919 and raged from March to April 1919, but was less toxic than the second wave and the spread of the infection was suppressed by the absence of war. .. During the first three months of 1920, there was also a fourth Spanish flu.

An estimated 500 million people worldwide have been infected with the Spanish flu, killing more than 50 million people. The death toll from the Spanish flu was about 2.7% of the population. At present, Covid-19 has a low death toll, with approximately 3 million deaths worldwide, accounting for 0.05% of the world’s current population.

You’ve probably seen two waves of Covid-19 so far. First wave infections peaked in early January 2021 with more than 800,000 cases daily and began to decline shortly thereafter. However, the second wave occurred at the end of February, and by the end of April 2021, 900,000 infections per day had peaked.

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The Spanish flu has spread to the end of the second year, indicating that Covid infections can be prolonged from at least the end of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022. The current one. People and governments need to be prepared for possible spikes in the coming months.

How to end

The United States faced a shortage of medical facilities needed to treat pandemic patients as World War I had already depleted space for doctors, nurses and hospitals. And in the early 20th century, there was a general shortage of antibiotics to cure the virus. In fact, the first vaccine for influenza was approved in the United States in the 1940s. As a result, countries have adopted practices such as keeping social distances, wearing masks, closing schools, universities, libraries and theaters, restricting public gatherings, and requiring infected patients to be isolated and isolated. started.

Apart from that, doctors and doctors also started prescribing aspirin. Bayer’s trademarked aspirin patent expired in 1917. This allowed many companies to manufacture the drug, and doctors prescribed large doses (up to 30 grams per day) of aspirin to patients, causing aspirin addiction.

Studies have shown that pandemics either die when infected with the virus or gain immunity. Similar practices have been used to control Covid-19 infection. Countries have begun to close their borders and have imposed blockages nationwide. Adhering to social distance standards, people were required to wear masks, use disinfectants and ventilators, and were provided with medical oxygen and medications such as remdesivir. Cases of overuse of the new coronavirus are also rampant.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies have also started producing vaccines, and several countries have vaccinated their people over the past few months. However, the world has not yet recovered from the virus, and new infections continue to occur around the world.

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The Spanish flu never eradicated, lurking in the background, and people gained immunity to fight the virus. Studies have shown that the virus strain that caused the pandemic (H1N1) has returned as a seasonal flu, sometimes fusing with other types of flu (bird flu, swine flu, etc.) to create a more dangerous strain. It was. 1957 (H2N2 virus, swine flu), 1968 (H3N2 virus, Hong Kong flu), 2009 (H1N1, swine flu) were all partially contributed by the Spanish cold virus.

In Covid-19, the vaccine can help ensure immunity and help the world return to normal. However, it will become clear over time whether it will help fight all variants of the virus that can mutate. Also, like seasonal flu, Covid-19 may remain long and come back on a regular basis.

How bad has India been hit?

The Spanish flu invaded Bombay via a warship in June 1918, and the virus spread rapidly after the war when soldiers returned to their hometowns in Punjab and the Dutch Republic. The second wave of September-December 1918 was equally brutal in India. According to the Gateway House, “Conservative estimates showed that the number of deaths from influenza between September and December 1918 was 12 to 13 million. Recent studies show a higher band of up to 18.5 million. It has been.”

India is also one of the countries most affected by Covid-19. The first case was reported in Kerala on January 30, 2020, and the infection soon spread to other parts of the country. The first wave of infection peaked in mid-September 2020, with daily infections exceeding 90,000 and declining towards the end of the year. However, a more deadly second wave struck the country towards the end of February, with more than 400,000 people infected per day in May. The number of deaths per day also surged from 1000 to 1200 at the peak of the first wave to more than 4,000 in the second wave. Cumulatively, the virus has killed more than 300,000 people in India so far.

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Between the Spanish flu and the Covid-19 pandemic, India has a very large population, resulting in high deaths. This may be the reason why we need to stay alert the moment we feel a little rest. In addition, medical infrastructure equipment must be strong enough in case people get sick in groups.