Community Blogs

The Way I See It!

I am an Ultra-Conservative, Alpha-Male, True Authentic Leader, Type "C" Personality, who is very active in my community; whether it is donating time, clothes or money for Project Concern or going to Common Council meetings and voicing my opinions. As a blogger, I intend to provide a different viewpoint "The way I see it!" on various world, national and local issues with a few helpful tips & tidbits sprinkled in.

Flu Info

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Dec. 30, 2008

Health, Info, Medical, Safety, Tips

Here are some key moments in Influenza History -

412 BC - Major epidemic of influenza recorded by Hippocrates

1781- Major epidemic causing high mortality among the elderly that spread across Russia from Asia

1830 - Major epidemic causing high mortality among the elderly that spread across Russia from Asia

1889-1890 - Major epidemic

1900 - Major epidemic

1918-1919 - Pandemic which killed 20-40 million people around the world; also known as the "Spanish influenza"

Late 1920s - Richard Shope showed that swine influenza could be transmitted through filtered mucous, implying that influenza is caused by a virus

1933 - Sir Christopher Andrewes, Wilson Smith, and Sir Patrick Laidlaw isolated the first human influenza virus

1940 - Frank Macfarlane Burnet grows influenza on a laboratory growth system (embryonated chicken eggs)

1941 - George K. Hirst discovered that influenza caused hemagglutination of red blood cells, thus providing a new method of assaying for the virus

1955 - Sir Christopher Andrewes, along with Burnet and Bang, coins the term "myxovirus" for the influenza family

1957 - Major antigenic shift causes the Asian influenza epidemic

1968 - Major antigenic shift causes the Hong Kong influenza epidemic

1976 - Swine Flu scare

1977 - Mild Russian influenza epidemic

1988 - Wiley, Wilson, and Skehel determine the location of the antigenic sites on the hemagglutinin molecule by X-ray crystallography

Experts: Pneumonia Was Real Killer in 1918 Flu Pandemic

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,398282,00.html

Is It a Cold or the Flu?

Colds and flu are both highly contagious and, in the initial stages, a bad cold and a mild case of the flu might seem alike. However, flu is a serious illness that can have life-threatening complications, unlike colds. Check this table for a comparison of the symptoms for each illness.

Symptoms	Cold	Flu
Fever	rare in adults and older children, but can be as high as 102° F in infants and small children	usually 102° F, but can go up to 104° F and usually lasts 3 to 4 days
Headache	rare	sudden onset and can be severe
Muscle aches	mild	usual, and often severe
Tiredness and Weakness	mild	often extreme, and can last two or more weeks
Extreme exhaustion	never	sudden onset and can be severe
Runny nose	often	sometimes
Sneezing	often	sometimes
Sore throat	often	sometimes
Cough	mild hacking cough	usual, and can become severe

New vaccine sneaks into body, then self-destructs

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0744362220080707

Flu vaccines to protect against 3 strains

Six new versions approved by U.S. will target more types of flu than in past

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26042288/

Antibodies still protect 1918 flu survivors: study

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1647217720080817

Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4BS56420081230

This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.

Community Blogs

The Way I See It!

Flu Info

Symptoms

Cold

Flu

Page Tools

Latest Posts

Archives