Monday, July 13, 2009
When it comes to horrendous pandemics the 1918 Spanish flu has become pretty much the gold standard against which all other pandemics are judged.
Small wonder, given that over a course of about 18 months, somewhere between 40 and 100 million people may have succumbed.
The Swine Flu Pandemic of 2009 has been sparked by the emergence of another H1N1 virus – reportedly a distant cousin of the 1918 virus.
We’ve been told, repeatedly, how `mild’ this virus is and that it is `no worse than seasonal flu’. Often these reassuring assessments have come from pundits and editorialists, not scientists.
Increasingly, however, we are seeing evidence that `mild’ may not be a very accurate description for this virus, and that it differs in significant ways from `seasonal’ influenza.
Today, we get word of fascinating research that links this new virus much closer with the 1918 pandemic virus.
Both demonstrated the ability to replicate deep in the lungs, and now it turns out that blood samples taken from survivors of the 1918 pandemic showed immunity to this new virus.
This from Reuters.
Study: Swine Flu Resembles 1918 Virus
Monday, July 13, 2009
WASHINGTON — The new H1N1 influenza virus bears a disturbing resemblance to the virus strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic, with a greater ability to infect the lungs than common seasonal flu viruses, researchers reported on Monday.
Tests in several animals confirmed other studies that have shown the new swine flu strain can spread beyond the upper respiratory tract to go deep into the lungs — making it more likely to cause pneumonia, the international team said.
In addition, they found that people who survived the 1918 pandemic seem to have extra immune protection against the virus, again confirming the work of other researchers.
"When we conducted the experiments in ferrets and monkeys, the seasonal virus did not replicate in the lungs," said Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, who led the study.
The H1N1 virus replicates significantly better in the lungs."
The new swine flu virus has caused the first pandemic of the 21st century, infecting more than a million people, according to estimates, and killing at least 500. The World Health Organization says it is causing mostly moderate disease but Kawaoka said that does not mean it is like seasonal flu.
"There is a misunderstanding about this virus," he said in a statement. "There is clear evidence the virus is different than seasonal influenza."
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