History of the Flu

As the possibility of a major coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. turns to reality, I figured it would be useful to do more research into the history and evolution of the family of viruses that coronavirus belongs to— influenza. One of the oldest diseases in mankind’s history dating back 2400 years, the flu is caused by the influenza virus, which was isolated only in the 1930s after the 1918 Spanish flu, the biggest flu pandemic in history. This pandemic killed over half a million people in the United States and around 50 million (some estimates are as high as 100 million) worldwide. The Spanish flu had a mortality rate between 2-20% and it lowered the average life expectancy of the American population by more than 12 years. Compared to that flu outbreak, the current coronavirus pandemic pales in significance, surely thanks to our current knowledge of epidemiology and the proactive measures taken by governments to curb the spread of the virus, rather than any change in the lethal nature of the virus.

After China, which has started to see a decline in new coronavirus cases, the country most affected by the new coronavirus pandemic is Italy. With nearly 25,000 confirmed cases, and over 2000 deaths, Italy is yet to get a grip on the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus. Interestingly, Italy has an ancient connection with the flu. While the first report of a flu-like epidemic actually comes from ancient Greece during the time of Hippocrates, it was the Italians who gave it its name, many centuries later. In 1357, a flu-like epidemic hit Florence, Italy (coincidentally, the same region as the coronavirus’ origin in Italy), and its people called the epidemic “influenza di freddo”, which means influence of the cold in Italian, likely referring to the disease’s possible cause.

A man wearing a mask and spraying an anti-flu substance during the Spanish flu epidemic. Image: History.com

Commuters in Hong Kong during the coronavirus outbreak. Image: CNBC News

Influenza epidemics have taken an immeasurable toll on human life over the ages. It also has a morbid history in America. The European colonization of the Americas brought the influenza virus to the New World. In fact, Christopher Columbus himself is rumored to have carried it over, causing a flu epidemic, which is believed to be responsible for wiping out the entire indigenous population of the Antilles.

The first flu pandemic occurred in 1580 AD, originating in Asia and spreading across Africa, Europe and America. It nearly wiped out entire Spanish cities and severely impacted Rome, and plagued an estimated 90% of Americans. Since then, there have been 31 recorded flu pandemics, and the current coronavirus pandemic is already the second to occur in the 21st century, after the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, which killed nearly half a million people worldwide.

So in the big scheme of things, sitting at home and suffering what I like to call “quarantine queasiness” – the unsettling feeling being experienced by many in the wake of the global quarantine imposed due to the coronavirus, that comes with the knowledge that you will be unable to fulfill daily tasks and routines adhered to for months or even years, as a result of being holed up at home with far too little human interaction – is a small price to pay when you consider the devastating effects of past pandemics. With enhanced hygiene practices (hand sanitizers and hand washing!) and social distancing, combined with the advanced medical knowledge available today, we can remain hopeful that we will be able to put an end to COVID-19 before it claims the body count of historic flu pandemics.