The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?

Background: It is just over a century since the 1918 flu pandemic, sometimes referred to as the “mother” of pandemics. This brief retrospective of the 1918 pandemic is taken from the viewpoint of the current SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and is based on a short lecture given during the 2021 Virtual C...

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Autor principal:	Robert J. Unwin
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Karger Publishers 2021
Materias:	pandemic influenza covid-19 wwl virus bacteria Dermatology RL1-803 Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system RC666-701 Diseases of the genitourinary system. Urology RC870-923
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/67ea5541facc412cb8bbd3bc0517bb8f
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:67ea5541facc412cb8bbd3bc0517bb8f2021-11-18T11:08:45ZThe 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?1420-40961423-014310.1159/000519288https://doaj.org/article/67ea5541facc412cb8bbd3bc0517bb8f2021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/519288https://doaj.org/toc/1420-4096https://doaj.org/toc/1423-0143Background: It is just over a century since the 1918 flu pandemic, sometimes referred to as the “mother” of pandemics. This brief retrospective of the 1918 pandemic is taken from the viewpoint of the current SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and is based on a short lecture given during the 2021 Virtual Congress of the ERA-EDTA. Summary: This review summarizes and highlights some of the earlier pandemic’s salient features, some parallels with today, and some potential learnings, bearing in mind that the flu pandemic occurred over 100 years ago at a time of major turmoil during the climax to WWl, and with limited medical expertise and knowledge, research facilities, or well-structured and resourced healthcare services. While there is little or no information on renal complications at the time, or an effective treatment, some observations in relation to COVID-19 and vaccination are included. Key Messages: Lessons are difficult to draw from 1918 other than the importance and value of non-pharmaceutical measures to limit viral transmission. While the economic impact of the 1918 pandemic was significant, as it is now with COVID-19, subsequent economic analysis has shown that protecting public health and preserving economic activity are not mutually exclusive. Both H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 viruses are neurotropic and may cause chronically debilitating neurological diseases, including conditions such as encephalitis lethargica (still debated) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome), respectively. Although coronavirus and influenza viral infections have some similarities, they are certainly not the same, as we are realising, and future infectious pandemics may still surprise us, but being “forewarned is forearmed.”Robert J. UnwinKarger Publishersarticlepandemicinfluenzacovid-19wwlvirusbacteriaDermatologyRL1-803Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) systemRC666-701Diseases of the genitourinary system. UrologyRC870-923ENKidney & Blood Pressure Research, Vol 46, Iss 5, Pp 639-646 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	pandemic influenza covid-19 wwl virus bacteria Dermatology RL1-803 Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system RC666-701 Diseases of the genitourinary system. Urology RC870-923
spellingShingle	pandemic influenza covid-19 wwl virus bacteria Dermatology RL1-803 Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system RC666-701 Diseases of the genitourinary system. Urology RC870-923 Robert J. Unwin The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?
description	Background: It is just over a century since the 1918 flu pandemic, sometimes referred to as the “mother” of pandemics. This brief retrospective of the 1918 pandemic is taken from the viewpoint of the current SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and is based on a short lecture given during the 2021 Virtual Congress of the ERA-EDTA. Summary: This review summarizes and highlights some of the earlier pandemic’s salient features, some parallels with today, and some potential learnings, bearing in mind that the flu pandemic occurred over 100 years ago at a time of major turmoil during the climax to WWl, and with limited medical expertise and knowledge, research facilities, or well-structured and resourced healthcare services. While there is little or no information on renal complications at the time, or an effective treatment, some observations in relation to COVID-19 and vaccination are included. Key Messages: Lessons are difficult to draw from 1918 other than the importance and value of non-pharmaceutical measures to limit viral transmission. While the economic impact of the 1918 pandemic was significant, as it is now with COVID-19, subsequent economic analysis has shown that protecting public health and preserving economic activity are not mutually exclusive. Both H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 viruses are neurotropic and may cause chronically debilitating neurological diseases, including conditions such as encephalitis lethargica (still debated) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome), respectively. Although coronavirus and influenza viral infections have some similarities, they are certainly not the same, as we are realising, and future infectious pandemics may still surprise us, but being “forewarned is forearmed.”
format	article
author	Robert J. Unwin
author_facet	Robert J. Unwin
author_sort	Robert J. Unwin
title	The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?
title_short	The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?
title_full	The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?
title_fullStr	The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?
title_full_unstemmed	The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?
title_sort	1918 influenza pandemic: back to the future?
publisher	Karger Publishers
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/67ea5541facc412cb8bbd3bc0517bb8f
work_keys_str_mv	AT robertjunwin the1918influenzapandemicbacktothefuture AT robertjunwin 1918influenzapandemicbacktothefuture
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The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Back to the Future?

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