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Start of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
Millions of people started getting sick, which started out like common colds, but it was much deadlier. In 1 year there were more deaths than in the 4 years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague in 1347 -
The First Victim
The first victim diagnosed with the new strain of the virus was Private Albert Gitchell -
End of WWI
The war ended shortly months after the outbreak of Spanish Influenza -
End of the Pandemic
Many people died and those who didn't developed an immunity to the virus, causing the spread of disease to stop. Every year around fall there is an outbreak of the flu, but none are as serious or deadly as the outbreak of 1918 because over humans have built up an immunity to the virus. -
John Oxford found the Source of the Virus
Investigative work in 1999 by a British team led by virologist John Oxford of St Bartholomew's Hospital and the Royal London Hospital identified the major troop staging and hospital camp in Étaples, France, as being the center of the 1918 flu pandemic -
Influenza Research
On 18 January 2007, Kobasa et al reported that monkeys infected with the recreated flu strain exhibited classic symptoms of the 1918 pandemic, and died from a cytokine storm—an overreaction of the immune system. This may explain why the 1918 flu had its surprising effect on younger, healthier people, as a person with a stronger immune system would potentially have a stronger overreaction. -
Researchers Find the Cause of the Deadly Virus
In 2008, researchers announced they’d discovered what made the 1918 flu so deadly: A group of three genes enabled the virus to weaken a victim’s bronchial tubes and lungs and clear the way for bacterial pneumonia. -
Influenza Research
In December 2008, research by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin linked the presence of three specific genes (termed PA, PB1, and PB2) and a nucleoprotein derived from 1918 flu samples to the ability of the flu virus to invade the lungs and cause pneumonia. The combination triggered similar symptoms in animal testing. -
Influenza Research
On 16 September 2008, the body of British politician and diplomat Sir Mark Sykes was exhumed to study the RNA of the flu virus in efforts to understand the genetic structure of modern H5N1 bird flu. Sykes had been buried in 1919 in a lead coffin which scientists hoped had helped preserve the virus. However, the coffin was found to be split because of the weight of soil over it, and the cadaver was badly decomposed. Nonetheless, samples of lung and brain tissue were taken through the split.