HISTORY This Week The Deadliest Pandemic in Modern History
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Mar 30, 2020 Dr. Jeremy Brown, an emergency physician and director at the NIH, dives deep into the history of the Spanish Flu, which decimated over 50 million lives worldwide. He explains how its avian origins spread rapidly due to troop movements during World War I. The discussion highlights the unusual clinical features that predominantly affected young adults and the impact of wartime censorship on public knowledge. Brown also reflects on the lessons learned about pandemic preparedness and emphasizes the continued importance of simple public health measures.
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Kansas Report Sparks A Global Outbreak
- Dr. Loring Minor reported 18 severe influenza cases with three deaths in Haskell County, Kansas, in March 1918.
- Soldiers moving between Camp Funston and Haskell likely carried the virus outward from rural farms to military camps.
1918 Virus Origin Confirmed By Genetics
- Genetic analysis shows the 1918 virus began as a bird virus and jumped through an intermediate host before infecting humans.
- Scientists resurrected and sequenced the virus in the late 1990s to confirm its origins.
Military Camps As Contagion Hubs
- Army camps had crowded wards with tens or hundreds of patients separated by cotton sheets, fueling rapid spread.
- Soldiers often moved between camps and civilian areas, seeding outbreaks broadly.
