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American Flu Pandemics

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The word ‘flu’ doesn’t scare many people, in fact most just see it as an inconvenience that is not that much worse than any other common illness and can be easily prevented. But it has not always been this way, in fact the virus has caused many very fatal pandemics across the world. It is still a very big threat to people today, as the virus is constantly evolving, along with it’s vaccines. Just last year in North Carolina alone, it killed over 137 people from October to January. Throughout time, the influenza virus has evolved and different strains have spread across the globe. This has been the cause of some of the worst pandemics the world has seen, and has led to the development and constantly changing vaccines available today. The flu …show more content…
In fact, in the city of London alone, in only three weeks the death toll was as high as it had been during the Black Plague (Honigsbaum, 1). Again in Europe, this time in 1890, the hadn’t seen a flu pandemic in 42 years. In fact, during this time they saw the flu no worse than a common cold, until the Russian Flu started going around. Within two years, it had killed over 27,000 people (Honigsbaum). A more well-known pandemic happened in 1918, starting not long after the American’s had joined the first World War. In fact, it is believed that the war was how the disease managed to spread from France to the United States. US soldiers who were stationed in France had caught the disease, and when they traveled back to America, starting in Boston, it began to spread (Influenza Pandemic of 1918). If it wasn’t for the war, the virus may have never made it to American soil. In fact, nobody knew what is was at first. …show more content…
Flu season runs each year from October to March, which vaccines being made available in October. Obviously, a person who does not get the vaccine will be more likely to catch a version of the virus than someone who does get vaccinated. As previously stated, if a person is to not get a vaccine then it is important to make sure they are washing their hands and things, especially if they have been exposed to someone with the virus, are getting disinfected. Young children and the elderly are also more vulnerable than teenagers or adults, though nobody should have the idea that they are ‘immune’ in their minds. Nobody is has an ‘immunity’ against the virus. As previously mentioned, Bird Flu is more common around people who work around animals, especially in Asia or Europe (New Scientist). Though due to the amount of travel and importing/exporting done today, no place is necessarily safe from any strain of the flu, and should be prepared to treat anything people may catch. Even if you get a vaccine the year before, one is needed each year. “Flu viruses change, and our bodies can’t adjust to even the slightest alteration”

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