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Antibodies still protect 1918 flu survivors: study
Reuters ^ | Aug 17, 2008 | Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

Posted on 08/17/2008 11:05:18 AM PDT by decimon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Antibodies from survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic, the worst in human memory, still protect against the highly deadly virus, researchers reported on Sunday.

The findings by a team of influenza and immune system experts suggest new and better ways to fight viruses -- especially new pandemic strains that emerge and spread before a vaccine can be formulated.

These survivors, now aged 91 to 101, all lived through the pandemic as children.

Their immune systems still carry a memory of that virus and can produce proteins called antibodies that kill the 1918 flu strain with surprising efficiency, the researchers report in the journal Nature.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; History; Science
KEYWORDS: 1918flu; flu; health; influenza; pandemic
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1 posted on 08/17/2008 11:05:18 AM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

Lib unions went crazy resisting innoculation of small pox after 2001.

Perhaps we can come up with a voluntary system of innoculations for diseases that are no longer commonly found, but might be re-introduced accidentally or via terrorism. I know plenty who would pay for such protection.


2 posted on 08/17/2008 11:11:11 AM PDT by Wiseghy ("You want to break this army? Then break your word to it.")
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To: decimon
I did a research paper about Woman's suffrage a couple of semesters ago and used the pandemic as one of the reasons the movement was successful at that time. During my research I would find horrible stories about how fast the flu killed, one example was of a college student who called a hospital to tell them that she just found her roommates really sick and she needed help. The hospital asked her how she felt and she said she felt fine. She was told to get out of the room and they would send an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived less than 20 minutes later they found everyone in the room dead including the caller who still had the phone in her hand.
3 posted on 08/17/2008 11:14:05 AM PDT by txroadkill (Liberals believe that the only oppressed people in Cuba are the terrorist in GitMo)
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To: decimon

My grandmother had this flu. She died from cancer in 1958. But she was pregnant and sick in bed with the flu.

She lost her two year old son on Saturday, my uncle (who lived until 1983) was born on Wednesday, and she lost her four year old on Saturday.


4 posted on 08/17/2008 11:14:22 AM PDT by Corin Stormhands (http://dontgomovement.com/)
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To: Wiseghy
Perhaps we can come up with a voluntary system of innoculations for diseases that are no longer commonly found, but might be re-introduced accidentally or via terrorism.

How many such diseases are there? Maybe your idea is practical but I have no idea.

I'm 63 so I got the smallpox vaccination as a kid. In the Army I walked down a hallway where I was blasted in both arms with who-knows-what.

5 posted on 08/17/2008 11:18:23 AM PDT by decimon
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To: Corin Stormhands; txroadkill

Horrible stories. Hope someone gets a handle on this before the next version breaks out.


6 posted on 08/17/2008 11:21:43 AM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon; All
Interesting! Thanks for posting.

My father had this flu in 1918. He was a soldier and was in New Jersey awaiting transport to Europe when he became ill. He survived but was unconscious for two weeks and never made it to Europe.

Many of you are probably not aware that there was an Encephalitis associated with the 1918 flu. The Encephalitis caused a condition commonly referred to as "sleeping sickness." My father was affected by this and would sometimes fall asleep for no apparent reason.

The Encephalitis was also recurrent and would sometimes recur in its most virulent form. This happened to him in 1946 and he died at the age of 56.

7 posted on 08/17/2008 11:25:21 AM PDT by davisfh ( Islam is a serious mental illness)
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To: decimon
These survivors, now aged 91 to 101

Everyone else is dead.......not a very good survival rate.

8 posted on 08/17/2008 11:26:32 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: decimon

The 1918 pandemic has been largely ignored or underplayed in U.S. history courses.

Millions died, many within hours of contracting the virus.


9 posted on 08/17/2008 11:29:17 AM PDT by wildbill
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To: davisfh

Sorry to hear about your dad.

Do you know if the encephalitis was from a separate microbe or was an effect of the flu?


10 posted on 08/17/2008 11:33:06 AM PDT by decimon
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To: Hot Tabasco
Everyone else is dead.......not a very good survival rate.

All the 102 year-olds I know agree with you.

11 posted on 08/17/2008 11:34:27 AM PDT by decimon
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To: txroadkill

It is interesting, in that the younger and healthier you were, the faster you died.

The mechanism was an overcharged autoimmune response to the virus, which filled the lungs with fluid.

So if you were old, or otherwise had a compromised immune system, you sneezed twice and felt no other effects.

This virus actually ended WWI, BTW. Nobody could field healthy troops anymore. Not even the US - a shp would leave for Europe, and half of the soldiers would die of the flu before it got there.


12 posted on 08/17/2008 11:36:42 AM PDT by patton (cuiquam in sua arte credendum)
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To: decimon

There was a book published a few years ago on this very subject. John M. Barry authored “The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History”.

Very slow going because of all the historical background and details. Woodrow Wilson comes off looking horrible; he was responsible for creating delays in counter-acting the spread of the disease.


13 posted on 08/17/2008 11:54:01 AM PDT by SatinDoll (Desperately desiring a conservative government.)
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To: Wiseghy

I want a smallpox vaccine!


14 posted on 08/17/2008 12:07:54 PM PDT by autumnraine
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To: SatinDoll
Woodrow Wilson comes off looking horrible...

Usually.

15 posted on 08/17/2008 12:35:52 PM PDT by decimon
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To: Wiseghy

The best part is that the entire RNA sequence of the 1918 flu has been published and is available for anyone who is interested:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702145610.htm

Related info: Cold dry air increases chances of flu transmission. http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0103-does_winter_cause_the_flu.htm


16 posted on 08/17/2008 1:06:57 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Spktyr

From the Science Daily article: “Additionally, cold, low humidity air dries out the nasal passages and makes virus transmission more likely.”

Warm, dry indoor air also dries out the nose and throat. Don’t dry out and you’ll rarely get sick, in my experience.


17 posted on 08/17/2008 1:14:06 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

I was going to say, living in the humid South may be a blessing in disguise....

I prefer warm, humid environs in the winter.


18 posted on 08/17/2008 1:16:26 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Spktyr
I was going to say, living in the humid South may be a blessing in disguise....

Except that air conditioning, when used, also dries you out. I'll bet that summer colds have risen with the use of air conditioning.

Thanks for the links, BTW.

19 posted on 08/17/2008 1:25:36 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

I’m a motorcyclist. What air conditioning? :D


20 posted on 08/17/2008 1:34:03 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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