The 5 Deadly Pandemics

pandemics

The flu, according to Google trends, is most prevalent from late December to March. You may or may not be fighting off a case of the “sniffles” but remember, there is always someone who has had it much, much worse than you. As human population continues to grow exponentially, I have a sad fact for you… so will the rate of disease. Hopefully technology will keep up with its exponential growth and ability to combat these diseases. If we take a look at historic influenza and what they did, we can see just how bad other people had it!


  1. The Russian flu. This flu, also known as the Asiatic flu, ran amok from 1889 and well into the 1890s without a definite ending point. It was responsible for the death of approximately a million people worldwide. This strain of influenza was dubbed H2N2, more specifically a subtype called H3N8.
  2. The Spanish flu. This flu should actually be listed as the most influential flu scientifically. If it weren’t for this flu, there would be no penicillin and we would’ve never delved into scientific research on topics such as pharmaceuticals and curing disease. It rampaged through the battlefield remnants of the First World War. It was estimated to have destroyed potentially one hundred million lives.
  3. The Asian flu. This deadly killer got its name from its origin, Asia. It evolved and mixed with strains from birds. This flu used its viral ferocity to infect and end approximately one million lives. It ran primarily in the 1950s. It was dubbed H2N2, just like the previously ranking Russian Influenza.
  4. The Hong Kong flu. This flu originated, again just like before, in its title. The bustling Chinese port City of Hong Kong. This flu was approximated at 900,000 deaths. Although nothing in comparison to the Spanish flu, still deadly. It spread globally and devastated countries from 1968 to 1969. Some cases still flare up today, but are more benign and controlled then the massive outbreak.
  5. The Swine flu. We all know this one too well. Although the media hyped it up to be more than it truly was, it was still a pandemic. This means it was global and it was deadly. Patients who caught this disease would’ve died within a few weeks at the latest and were extremely infectious. This lethal virus is still active even in 2011 but it is not as prominent as it was in 2009. Symptoms include coughing, aching body, and extreme fatigue, and extreme diarrhea. Although these are shared symptoms with the common cold, making it hard to discern cold from flu, you should still see your doctor if you are in the slightest suspicious. In 2009 this reoccurring devil is expected to have ended 18,000 lives in 2009.

Remember, it is better to be overly safe than sorry! Get a regular check up with your doctor and make sure you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. If everyone participated, we could stop these pandemics and end a ton of suffering.

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