1918 All Over Again?

Posted by Lorren on November 13, 2009

Swine Flu Symptoms Resemble Deadly Spanish Flu

I have been following the H1N1 outbreak since it hit Mexico this spring. My great grandmother died of H1N1 in 1918, so this flu is something that I have been following. I listened to The Great Influenza audiobook earlier this year, trying to learn what happened, hoping that I could be more prepared if history was to repeat itself.

I was very glad when my family all came down with H1N1 earlier this year. Our symptoms were fairly mild, and I remember that people who got H1N1 in early 1918 had partial immunity to the mutant strain that hit in the fall. I had been quite happy that H1N1 has proved itself to be mild, and seemed to not cause a repeat of 1918.

Until just a few minutes ago.

I just read that the Ukraine has had an outbreak of some mysterious illness. They think it might be H1N1, but they’re not sure yet. It could be typhus, ebola hemorrhagic fever, or even the pneumonic plague. Doctors were thinking the same thing in 1918.

One of the most chilling things that I read in the article was this quote:

“One of the most striking of the complications was hemorrhage from mucous membranes, especially from the nose, stomach, and intestine. Bleeding from the ears and petechial hemorrhages in the skin also occurred.”

A couple of weeks ago, I had been reviewing the 1918 H1N1 virus, and I recalled how patients were bleeding from the ears, seeing the destruction of their lungs, coughing up blood, and hemorrhaging from mucus membranes. That seems to be happening in the Ukraine. 1.25 million people seem to be affected by this virus.

What I feared this spring seems to be coming true. The 1918 H1N1 virus killed across the world. Pigs caught H1N1 from humans during that time period. These pigs have been harboring the 1918 ancestors of this H1N1 virus for the past 90 years. It was passed back from the pigs to the people this spring. I feared that the virus still had the capability to kill like it did 90 years ago. I was hopeful when September and October passed without viral passage creating a killer virus. Perhaps I got my hopes up too soon.

If you have not studied the 1918 H1N1 outbreak, I urge you to do so. It helps me, at least, to be mentally prepared about what could happen. I will more into what is going on in the Ukraine when I have more time.