How Does a Pandemic End? Here’s What We Can Learn From the 1918 Flu

Time ^ | 10/6/2020 | Olivia R. Waxman

[DallasBiff]

More than six months after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, as scientific understanding of the novel coronavirus continues to evolve, one question remains decidedly unanswered. How will this pandemic come to an end?

Current scientific understanding is that only a vaccine will put an end to this pandemic, but how we get there remains to be seen. It seems safe to say, however, that some day, somehow, it will end. After all, other viral pandemics have. Take, for example, the flu pandemic of 1918-1919.

[DallasBiff]

I know an article from 4 1/2 years ago, but it seems that virus's die out and mutate.

The black plague in the 1300's was caused by rat fleas bacteria on ships.

I'm a history geek, flame away.

[SunkenCiv]

The rest of the Gina Kolata keyword, sorted:

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• DNA From Beethoven's Hair Unlocks Medical and Family Secrets [03/24/2023]
• He Can't Cure His Dad. But a Scientist's Research May Help Everyone Else [11/04/2021]
• Pandemic and 1918: How History and Illness Intertwine [04/13/2020]
• 100 years after 'Spanish Flu': Is the world ready for the next pandemic? [12/27/2018]
• The flu can kill tens of millions of people. In 1918, that's exactly what it did [01/30/2018]
• How Does the Flu Actually Kill People? [12/19/2017]
• The Frog Slime Cure for Flu [04/21/2017]
• Frog snot gives hope for flu cure [04/18/2017]
• The U.S. Military and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 -- 1919 [10/06/2015]
• End of common cold could be in sight [02/05/2015]
• OSCILLOCOCCINUM: Yay or Nay? [12/13/2014]
• Scientists Discover First 'Virological Penicillin'(Honeysuckle) [10/24/2014]
• Look Back 250 Quarantine during 1918 Spanish flu epidemic saves lives [10/14/2014]
• Enterovirus D68 And Influenza Far More Dangerous Than Ebola In U.S., Say Top Physicians [10/09/2014]
• The Next Pandemic [09/02/2014]
• Hospitals Full-Up: The 1918 Influenza Pandemic (Video) [10/26/2012]
• Diary From The HMNZ Tahiti During The 1918 Pandemic [10/08/2012]
• Synthetic protein kick-starts the immune system to prevent all strains of the flu [07/09/2012]
• Brown Fat, Triggered by Cold or Exercise, May Yield a Key to Weight Control [01/25/2012]
• UCLA scientists find H1N1 flu virus prevalent in animals in Africa [09/23/2011]
• NIH scientists find earliest known evidence of 1918 influenza pandemic (and more) [09/19/2011]
• New study re-examines bacterial vaccine studies conducted during 1918 influenza pandemic [11/02/2010]
• Chronicle of the Devastating Flu Epidemic is Frightening, Readable [12/05/2009]
• Earlier flu viruses provided some immunity to current H1N1 influenza, study shows [10/14/2009]
• Soldier's Letters Give First-Hand Look at Spanish Flu Pandemic [04/29/2009]
• Samples taken from 90-year-old body of Spanish flu victim Sir Mark Sykes [04/25/2009]
• Survivors of 1918 Flu Pandemic Immune 90 Years Later [08/17/2008]
• Study Shows Why the Flu Likes Winter [12/05/2007]
• When killer flu struck [ "Spanish Lady" flu, 1918 ] [11/29/2006]
• Past may hold clue to future flu fight Secrets may be in blood of 1918 survivors [10/05/2006]
• The Bird Flu Breakdown - Part 1: Two Children in Vietnam [06/05/2006]
• Bird flu's evolution, links to 1918 pandemic studied, debated [11/29/2005]
• Experts Unlock Clues to Spread of 1918 Flu Virus [10/05/2005]
• Deadly 1918 Epidemic Linked to Bird Flu, Scientists Say [10/05/2005]
• Scientists: 1918 Killer Spanish Flu Was a Bird Flu [10/05/2005]
• Saline spray may help control flu [11/30/2004]
• Deadly Flu Outbreak: Is History Repeating Itself? [23,000 victims in Madagascar] [08/30/2002]

[Carry me back]

1918 was a scam too that was ran by the govt on the US military. Then they put a misleading name on it.

[ClearCase_guy]

The Black Death is the classic “scary story” about disease.
You can also point to Native Americans being devastated by Smallpox, Measles and whatnot.

But for many thousands of years, there was nothing anyone could do about disease. The disease comes to the community, people die, the disease goes away. Life goes on.

And people should keep in mind that in the past (ex. 14th century Black Death) people were subsistence level farmers, generally malnourished, no clean water, no aspirin for fevers, no great source of warmth in the winter, no great source of cooling in the summer. Getting sick was bad. You could easily die. And with the Black Death one third of Europe did die.

It's different today. In a worst case scenario, “lots” of people die and the demographic needle barely moves. Because the people who die during pandemics are overwhelmingly in their 80s. They were going to die soon anyway. I'm not being heartless, I'm just stating facts.

The panic and “mandatory steps” that our government pulled was far more devastating than COVID. And that will be true next time also. I do not support “drastic measures” by government because of disease. I don't totally oppose vaccines (polio vaccine was good) but I really do not think that human civilization requires vaccines to survive. They should always be optional.

[hardspunned]

Dr. Putin ended the scamdemic on 2/24/22.

[C210N]

A possible way to stop pandemics for good is to stop having elections.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The plandemic that was 99.9% survivable for people without comorbidities?

It’s not over yet?

Who knew?

[Jonty30]

The Spanish Flu became more deadly when government forced everybody to mask up and breathe bad air.

Something that Fauci should have known.

[9YearLurker]

More lies.

[1Old Pro]

they run their course in 4-5 years.

[Cold Heart]

2024 H5N1 bird flu out of USDA lab

[Deaf Smith]

“How does a pandemic end?”

The H1N1 (Swine Flu) pandemic of 2009 ended in January of 2010 when Hussein & Biden (Potato) ordered no more new cases to be recorded.

See: CDC H1N1 2009

[Empire_of_Liberty]

You would know if you did grocery shopping and heard the PA system. It will never end while there are still lemons to squeeze.

[waterhill]

That was a really good find. And I eat raw steak faster than you can say pussycat.

[ducttape45]

And there many who say that pandemic never ended and is still with us now.

[reasonisfaith]

Some of these illnesses never existed until the low IQ among us thought it would be a good idea to make them in the laboratory.

Before 1917.

[SaxxonWoods]

It’s very sobering to walk the local cemetery near the Texas ranch where my mother grew up. The number of headstones from that time of babies and very young children is shocking.

[mass55th]

How does a pandemic end?

Kill off all the Democrats.

[Alberta's Child]

Viruses die and mutate, but pandemics never end because Karens don’t.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

You would know if you did grocery shopping and heard the PA system. It will never end while there are still lemons to squeeze.

The pharmacy of one of the grocery stores we shop still has big signs up to "get your COVID-1984 vaccination here."