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The Basics
Influenza is a viral infection that is spread when droplets released by infected individuals, via sneezing, coughing, or talking, invade the bodies of others. It is also transmitted by touching a surface with the virus on it and then touching the nose, mouth, or eyes.
The 1918 flu was an influenza. A virus of the subtype H1N1. Modern research shows that it was novel to humans -- not a descendant of an already existing virus, but a new virus from an unknown source.
The 1918 pandemic swept across the world in three waves between March 1918 and March 1919. In most areas, September through November 1918 had the highest rate of mortality.
Secondary bacterial infections played a devastating role during the influenza pandemic and were responsible for up to 95% of deaths.
The full genetic sequencing of the virus, completed in 2005, is allowing scientists to make unprecedented discoveries that illuminate what happened in 1918 and may help to better prepare the world for a similar pandemic in the future. |