Brief History of Pandemic Flu

It is widely believed that Pandemic flu appears to occur two or three times every century. In the 20th century, the most severe influenza pandemic occurred in 1918-1919 (“Spanish flu”) and caused an estimated 40 to 50 million deaths worldwide, mostly in young adults. The 1957 “Asian flu” caused an estimated 2 million deaths and the 1968 outbreak (“Hong Kong” flu) caused an estimated 1 million deaths and affected all age groups. Influenza pandemics have occurred every 10 to 50 years. For the last few years, experts have agreed that another pandemic is imminent.

A significant characteristic of an influenza pandemic occurring today is likely to be the rapid spread of the virus due to the connected nature of the world and the high level of global travel. Effective pandemic preparedness is essential to minimize the impact on local and global populations.