Influenza Pros And Cons
The Spanish Flu is an utter, complete mystery, scientists had no idea where it originated. Nevertheless, by September, 1918, this Spanish flu obliterated most of the known world, wiping out even Eskimo villages in the far north, thousands of miles away from the rest of the infected. During the outbreak, authorities lost track of the casualties; the numbers were overwhelming. By the time the disease burned out, the estimated death toll rose around fifty-million people. This 1918 influenza outbreak was by far the most deadly pandemic in human history. The normal death curve of a pandemic, is a U shape, targeting the young and the elderly and completely passing over all in between. This one however, is a W shape, striking children under age
…show more content…
five, people aged twenty to forty, and the elderly over age seventy. Whereas adolescents and middle age peoples, seemed to be looked over by the virus.
When you caught the flu, you might experience a headache that left you in bed. Then--burning eyes accompanied with chills that no amount of blankets could overcome. Next, they would become feverish while lying in bed, drift in and out of a delirious consciousness. The disease ran rampant through the body. When infected, you would live only a few hours or days. As death neared, their faces morphed into colors ranging between purple and brown. They began coughing up blood. Their feet went black. Breathing became ragged and difficult, until death finally came. Not from the disease itself, but from suffocation. Autopsies revealed lungs clogged with a bloody fluid.
Kolata’s main subject of the book is finding the cure. She explains experiments done on humans, swine, and ferrets that led, eventually, to the knowledge that the 1918 flu was not caused by bacteria as had been thought, but by the influenza virus. Doctors attempted to spread the virus by swabbing throats. noses, and eyes, and transferring them to a healthy person. Theorists assumed there was a correlation between swine flu and the 1918 flu, and there is, the Swine Flu still circulates as a seasonal flu virus. Swine flu is caused by the H1N1 virus strain, which originated in pigs. the appearance of a swine flu strain in humans more recently created the fear of a repeat of 1918. Millions of Americans were vaccinated to prevent a future outbreak. Without the scientific knowledge Kolata mentions in Flu, we risk being unarmed when the next great flu pandemic arrives. Kolata questions, how close are we to another pandemic? She explains the scare of the emergence of the bird flu. As the number of cases grew, the animal virus was eliminated by the slaughter and disposal of over one million chickens.
The book’s greatest strength is the way it profiles the personalities behind the science. Inspiration sparked Jeffrey Taubenberger of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in 1995 while reading studies about polymerase chain reactions.. This technique amplifies smallest traces of genetic material, so that large enough samples can be made to permit genetic decoding, called sequencing. Taubenberger wanted to do his own study using this technique. He had access to thousands of historical tissue samples, preserved and embedded in paraffin wax, pieces of lung tissue of the diseased. At the University of Iowa, Johan Hultin traveled to uncover the virus from bodies preserved in permafrost, in a Norwegian island in the Arctic Ocean. He wanted to capture the live virus, as opposed to collecting only genetic material to be sequenced. In the end, the study failed, due to changing temperature. Now we know the Spanish Flu. or the Great Influenza of 1918, is related to Swine Flu, or now known as H1N1. But--we are still looking for the mystery of how and why it became such a deadly outbreak.
Discussion: The impact of the 1918 flu is tremendous. It was perhaps the deadliest pandemic our world has possibly ever seen. It stands with the Bubonic Plague, Cholera, and even AIDS as the worst pandemics and viral diseases in history. Although we haven’t seen a full fled pandemic as happened in 1918, the influenza and pneumonia is the 7th killer in the United States.
The influenza Vaccine was first introduced as a licensed product in the US in 1944. The effectiveness of the vaccine only lasts a year or two, because the virus is rapidly mutating with each person that contracts the illness. By the 1950’s vaccine makers were able to prepare and routinely release vaccines, preferably given each year, and on days to remember them, like birthdays.During the 1960s, increased understanding of the influenza virus enabled scientists to develop more potent, effective vaccines. Imagine a world without vaccines. Although this was not the first vaccine ever created, it was the first way to prevent influenza. Without this, we would probably have another pandemic. Additionally, they are being improved every day, with each year of influenza, they are improved to hopefully prevent the next year’s strain. We are thankful to have the technology we have today and that it is constantly improving.
The estimated 50-million people that died because this influenza, suffered, there is not a single word, even one million words that can express the devastation of this outbreak. This has affected almost every single person in the world, even you. If this had not occurred, our population would be enormous. We could have twice the number of people we have now in the world. That poses the question, was it good that this happened? Not in the way that it was good that people suffered of course, but think; we could have so much more poverty, so much more starvation. We could run out of resources before you even know it.
As well as vaccinations, it educated people how diseases spread so quickly, how they spread, and why they spread.
Before, people only assumed viruses were spread by air, or bacteria, they had no clue, even though it happened before, that it could be spread by animals or by any other means. Probably one of the most important outcomes of this outbreak of this flu, was the realization of how a national health care system is needed. It is crucial to have this system to keep our country safe and healthy.
Personally, I believe that the outbreak serves more cons than pros. Nonetheless, the pros that stemmed from the consequences are very important in today's society and health, and if it did not happen we would not be as advanced as we are in medicine and knowledge about diseases.. As I said, we would also not have vaccines, and we would not be doing any research to find the correlation between the flu and the swine flu/H1N1 and we would not have such a powerful national or worldwide health system, like healthcare and the CDC. So, in conclusion, Kolata’s knowledge she shares in the book can be very …show more content…
beneficial.
Personal Response: I extremely enjoyed this book.
Although it wasn’t complicated to understand, it was very heavy with information, dates, and names. I find learning about viruses very interesting, and having the knowledge of where they originated, how to prevent them, and what they are, is not only beneficial to know in the long run, But--to be knowledgeable about the subject is interesting itself. Gina Kolata’s style of writing makes the book a quick read but you learn a lot in the short time it takes to read
it.
My favorite part in the book was hard to narrow down, but, my favorite part was the introduction/first chapter. It focuses on first three people that were recorded that showed first signs of the illness. Two army generals, both across the country from each other, and second, an eskimo or Inuit woman far away from the busy happenings in the Americas and Europe where the virus was spreading rampantly. It explains how when the three died, tissue was taken from their lungs which was stored in paraffin wax. Which was then transported all the way to a government warehouse filled with tissue samples, and was forgotten about for about 60 years, until they were taken out for research. One of the most fascinating things about the pandemic that Kolata talks about on and off throughout the book, is that how it was nearly forgotten. WW1 ended right before the pandemic erupted, so the world was already weary from so many casualties. Also, people did not want the flu to spread, so there was little to no media coverage in most areas. Not to mention, most of the deaths occurred between a 9-month time span. Coupled with health authorities, in order to reduce panic and anxiety, told the little media and citizens, that it was ‘just the flu’. Not a full fled pandemic. Just a cold, just a virus. The time span for it to completely go through your body was only 24 to 48 hours, but because of such little information going around in the beginning, not everyone knew you wouldn’t get better. I find it very interesting, and distressing that one of the greatest pandemics to ever take place could have never been remembered.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys virulogy or history. Gina Kolata has done an exceptional job portraying the effect on the world and sharing her knowledge with us, and it is a great opportunity to educate yourself with.
five, people aged twenty to forty, and the elderly over age seventy. Whereas adolescents and middle age peoples, seemed to be looked over by the virus.
When you caught the flu, you might experience a headache that left you in bed. Then--burning eyes accompanied with chills that no amount of blankets could overcome. Next, they would become feverish while lying in bed, drift in and out of a delirious consciousness. The disease ran rampant through the body. When infected, you would live only a few hours or days. As death neared, their faces morphed into colors ranging between purple and brown. They began coughing up blood. Their feet went black. Breathing became ragged and difficult, until death finally came. Not from the disease itself, but from suffocation. Autopsies revealed lungs clogged with a bloody fluid.
Kolata’s main subject of the book is finding the cure. She explains experiments done on humans, swine, and ferrets that led, eventually, to the knowledge that the 1918 flu was not caused by bacteria as had been thought, but by the influenza virus. Doctors attempted to spread the virus by swabbing throats. noses, and eyes, and transferring them to a healthy person. Theorists assumed there was a correlation between swine flu and the 1918 flu, and there is, the Swine Flu still circulates as a seasonal flu virus. Swine flu is caused by the H1N1 virus strain, which originated in pigs. the appearance of a swine flu strain in humans more recently created the fear of a repeat of 1918. Millions of Americans were vaccinated to prevent a future outbreak. Without the scientific knowledge Kolata mentions in Flu, we risk being unarmed when the next great flu pandemic arrives. Kolata questions, how close are we to another pandemic? She explains the scare of the emergence of the bird flu. As the number of cases grew, the animal virus was eliminated by the slaughter and disposal of over one million chickens.
The book’s greatest strength is the way it profiles the personalities behind the science. Inspiration sparked Jeffrey Taubenberger of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in 1995 while reading studies about polymerase chain reactions.. This technique amplifies smallest traces of genetic material, so that large enough samples can be made to permit genetic decoding, called sequencing. Taubenberger wanted to do his own study using this technique. He had access to thousands of historical tissue samples, preserved and embedded in paraffin wax, pieces of lung tissue of the diseased. At the University of Iowa, Johan Hultin traveled to uncover the virus from bodies preserved in permafrost, in a Norwegian island in the Arctic Ocean. He wanted to capture the live virus, as opposed to collecting only genetic material to be sequenced. In the end, the study failed, due to changing temperature. Now we know the Spanish Flu. or the Great Influenza of 1918, is related to Swine Flu, or now known as H1N1. But--we are still looking for the mystery of how and why it became such a deadly outbreak.
Discussion: The impact of the 1918 flu is tremendous. It was perhaps the deadliest pandemic our world has possibly ever seen. It stands with the Bubonic Plague, Cholera, and even AIDS as the worst pandemics and viral diseases in history. Although we haven’t seen a full fled pandemic as happened in 1918, the influenza and pneumonia is the 7th killer in the United States.
The influenza Vaccine was first introduced as a licensed product in the US in 1944. The effectiveness of the vaccine only lasts a year or two, because the virus is rapidly mutating with each person that contracts the illness. By the 1950’s vaccine makers were able to prepare and routinely release vaccines, preferably given each year, and on days to remember them, like birthdays.During the 1960s, increased understanding of the influenza virus enabled scientists to develop more potent, effective vaccines. Imagine a world without vaccines. Although this was not the first vaccine ever created, it was the first way to prevent influenza. Without this, we would probably have another pandemic. Additionally, they are being improved every day, with each year of influenza, they are improved to hopefully prevent the next year’s strain. We are thankful to have the technology we have today and that it is constantly improving.
The estimated 50-million people that died because this influenza, suffered, there is not a single word, even one million words that can express the devastation of this outbreak. This has affected almost every single person in the world, even you. If this had not occurred, our population would be enormous. We could have twice the number of people we have now in the world. That poses the question, was it good that this happened? Not in the way that it was good that people suffered of course, but think; we could have so much more poverty, so much more starvation. We could run out of resources before you even know it.
As well as vaccinations, it educated people how diseases spread so quickly, how they spread, and why they spread.
Before, people only assumed viruses were spread by air, or bacteria, they had no clue, even though it happened before, that it could be spread by animals or by any other means. Probably one of the most important outcomes of this outbreak of this flu, was the realization of how a national health care system is needed. It is crucial to have this system to keep our country safe and healthy.
Personally, I believe that the outbreak serves more cons than pros. Nonetheless, the pros that stemmed from the consequences are very important in today's society and health, and if it did not happen we would not be as advanced as we are in medicine and knowledge about diseases.. As I said, we would also not have vaccines, and we would not be doing any research to find the correlation between the flu and the swine flu/H1N1 and we would not have such a powerful national or worldwide health system, like healthcare and the CDC. So, in conclusion, Kolata’s knowledge she shares in the book can be very …show more content…
beneficial.
Personal Response: I extremely enjoyed this book.
Although it wasn’t complicated to understand, it was very heavy with information, dates, and names. I find learning about viruses very interesting, and having the knowledge of where they originated, how to prevent them, and what they are, is not only beneficial to know in the long run, But--to be knowledgeable about the subject is interesting itself. Gina Kolata’s style of writing makes the book a quick read but you learn a lot in the short time it takes to read
it.
My favorite part in the book was hard to narrow down, but, my favorite part was the introduction/first chapter. It focuses on first three people that were recorded that showed first signs of the illness. Two army generals, both across the country from each other, and second, an eskimo or Inuit woman far away from the busy happenings in the Americas and Europe where the virus was spreading rampantly. It explains how when the three died, tissue was taken from their lungs which was stored in paraffin wax. Which was then transported all the way to a government warehouse filled with tissue samples, and was forgotten about for about 60 years, until they were taken out for research. One of the most fascinating things about the pandemic that Kolata talks about on and off throughout the book, is that how it was nearly forgotten. WW1 ended right before the pandemic erupted, so the world was already weary from so many casualties. Also, people did not want the flu to spread, so there was little to no media coverage in most areas. Not to mention, most of the deaths occurred between a 9-month time span. Coupled with health authorities, in order to reduce panic and anxiety, told the little media and citizens, that it was ‘just the flu’. Not a full fled pandemic. Just a cold, just a virus. The time span for it to completely go through your body was only 24 to 48 hours, but because of such little information going around in the beginning, not everyone knew you wouldn’t get better. I find it very interesting, and distressing that one of the greatest pandemics to ever take place could have never been remembered.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys virulogy or history. Gina Kolata has done an exceptional job portraying the effect on the world and sharing her knowledge with us, and it is a great opportunity to educate yourself with.