Covid-19 vs. Spanish Flu

Volume 4 - Issue 5

Essam A Abo El Magd* and Mai E AbuElmagd

Received: August 01, 2020;   Published: August 10, 2020

DOI: 10.32474/SJO.2020.04.000199

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Abstract

CHistory does not repeat itself. Though every single historical moment is distinct, parallels can be drawn between different historical events. Even though history does not teach us what to do, it can inspire us to act. Revising the 1918 influenza pandemic is an opportunity to consider the current coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis from a different perspective. Influenza and coronavirus share basic similarities in the way they are transmitted via respiratory droplets and contact surfaces. Descriptions of H1N1 influenza patients in 1918-19 resemble the respiratory failure of COVID-19 sufferers a century later. Current discussions about holding back social distancing measures and opening the country frequently refer to “waves” of disease that characterized the dramatic mortality of H1N1 influenza in three major peaks in 1918-19.

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