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Original post : gururu 7/16/2002
Prior to the major 1918 global pandemic, 'flu was a relatively minor illness. Yes, it was dangerous to the infirm, elderly and young, but death was unsual (estimated at probably less than 1 in 1000).
Something was different about the 1918 virus. It was much more contagious and much more virulent. It would rapidly infect young fit people, and they would develop pneumonia and die (death rate probably 1 in 40).
his was probably not so much due to a significant change in the virulence of the virus, but instead because it had 'changed its spots'. Flu viruses endemic in a population don't generally cause much illness because the population is immune. Slow changes in the virus mean that the population can retain some immunity against slightly different viruses. The big pandemics are thought to have occurred because the virus simply picked up a new coat from another virus (e.g. from swine flu or bird flu), to which the population have no immunity at all. original post: gururu 7/16/2002 [/quote]
I think you have failed to consider the human race in the equation. The outbreaks of the early 1900 's and especially in the 1600's could very well be due to demographics in and of themselves. We are a very mobile society who is well informed today. In those periods specifically there were groups of people brought together from totally different worlds so to speak. The adaptation of one group would be much different then that of another. That being the case, you would have people being exposed to, at the very least, strains of virus, if not completely different viruses than they had ever encountered before. If you recall it wasnt to long ago we were quarantining people before allowing them to move freely in this country. How bad would it have gotten without our communication systems and the fast transportation we now have allowing most of the world population to have at least a minimum resistance built to most of the viruses in question.:light:
The best antibiotic in the world is your own mucus,so, pick your nose, just don't get caught. :beer:
Actually, it probably isn't completely.