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Interesting article on 1918 flu epidemic
Sep. 28th, 2006 10:06 amhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5385894.stm
It's interesting to me because I remember a professor at uni speculating that the killing factor of the 1918 virus could have been a cytokine cascade triggered by the body's response to the virus, which is very similar (possibly the same?) to what is being described here. It fits the symptoms and explains why so many people died and in such a nasty way. It even explains the haemmoraghic (sp?) features of the disease.
It will be interesting to see whether the current bird flu virus is causing the same reaction - it might give a better idea of how to defeat it.
Oddly, the strength of the immune reaction could explain why the 1918 virus killed predominantly young, healthy individuals. Their immune systems were working at the peak of what they could have had and it was that efficiency that probably killed them. Children and the elderly died from the secondary infections associated with the virus, but healthy people? Probably died precisely because they were so healthy. Rather a depressing and worrying thought.
It's interesting to me because I remember a professor at uni speculating that the killing factor of the 1918 virus could have been a cytokine cascade triggered by the body's response to the virus, which is very similar (possibly the same?) to what is being described here. It fits the symptoms and explains why so many people died and in such a nasty way. It even explains the haemmoraghic (sp?) features of the disease.
It will be interesting to see whether the current bird flu virus is causing the same reaction - it might give a better idea of how to defeat it.
Oddly, the strength of the immune reaction could explain why the 1918 virus killed predominantly young, healthy individuals. Their immune systems were working at the peak of what they could have had and it was that efficiency that probably killed them. Children and the elderly died from the secondary infections associated with the virus, but healthy people? Probably died precisely because they were so healthy. Rather a depressing and worrying thought.
