(Phys.org)--The 1918 outbreak of Spanish flu was so unlike other pandemics that it is analogous to a massive natural disaster. The H1N1 virus infected an estimated 500 million people and killed 100 million by some estimates. And while ordinary flu outbreaks primarily endanger the infirm old or very young, Spanish flu was more likely to kill healthy young adults because it caused an overreaction of the immune system, known as a cytokine storm, which is stronger in healthy individuals. Weakened or...
(Phys.org)--The 1918 outbreak of Spanish flu was so unlike other pandemics that it is analogous to a massive natural disaster. The H1N1 virus infected an estimated 500 million people and killed 100 million by some estimates. And while ordinary flu outbreaks primarily endanger the infirm old or very young, Spanish flu was more likely to kill healthy young adults because it caused an overreaction of the immune system, known as a cytokine storm, which is stronger in healthy individuals. Weakened or...
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