Daniel in The Lion's Den | 793: SWINE FLU – Part I

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793: SWINE FLU – Part I – Back to the future…

05 July, 2009

SWINE FLU – Part I – Back to the future…

Gleaned from: Google-Wikipedia, Msn-Encarta-Encyclopaedia-Dictionary, and other various sources – colours for names, highlights, emphasis, and definitions only…

The 1918 flu pandemic, commonly referred to as Spanish flu, was an influenza pandemic that spread to nearly every part of the world. It was caused by an unusually virulent and deadly Influenza A-virus strain of sub-type H1N1. Historical and epidemiological data were inadequate to identify the geographic origin of the virus. Most of its victims were healthy young adults, in contrast to most influenza outbreaks that predominantly affect juvenile, elderly, or otherwise weakened patients. The flu pandemic was also implicated in the sudden outbreak of Encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s.

Encephalitis lethargica: von Economo disease; is an atypical form of encephalitis. Also known as sleeping sickness (though different from the trypanosomiasis transmitted by the tsetse fly), EL is a devastating illness that swept the world in the 1920s and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. First discovered and described by the neurologist, Constantin Freiherr von Economo (1876-1931), in 1917, EL attacks the brain, leaving some victims in a statue-like condition, speechless and motionless. Between 1915 and 1926, an epidemic of encephalitis-lethargica spread around the world; no recurrence of the epidemic has since been reported, though isolated cases continue to occur.

Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain.

Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meninges-encephalitis.

Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs. Meningitis can be life-threatening because of the inflammation's proximity to the brain and spinal cord; therefore the condition is classified as a medical emergency.

Encephalitis: Not to be confused with syphilis, although that can cause encephalitis as well.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochetal bacterium, Treponema pallidum sub-species pallidum. The route of transmission of syphilis is almost always through sexual contact, although there are examples of congenital syphilis via transmission from mother to child in uteri.

The signs and symptoms of syphilis are numerous; before the advent of serological testing, precise diagnosis was very difficult. In fact, the disease was dubbed the Great Imitator because it was often confused with other diseases, particularly in its tertiary stage.

Syphilis can generally be treated with antibiotics, including penicillin. One of the oldest and still the most effective methods is an intramuscular injection of benzathine-penicillin. If left untreated, syphilis can damage the heart, aorta, brain, eyes, and bones. In some cases these effects can be fatal. In 1998, a complete genetic sequence of T. pallidum was published, which may aid in understanding the pathogenesis – or step by step development of, and the chain of events leading to, due to a series of changes in the structure and/or function of a cell/tissue/organ being caused by a microbial , chemical or physical agent – of syphilis.

The pandemic began as early as December 1917, gained momentum, and lasted from March 1918 to June 1920, spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. It is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 100 million, and many more, people were killed worldwide, or the approximate equivalent of one third of the population of Europe. An estimated 500 million people, one third of the world's population – approximately 1.6 billion at the time – became infected.

Scientists have used tissue samples from frozen victims to reproduce the virus for study. Given the strain's extreme virulence, there has been controversy regarding the wisdom of such a research. Among the conclusions of this research is that the virus kills via a cytokine storm – overreaction of the body's immune system – which explains its unusually severe nature and the concentrated age profiles of its victims. The stronger immune systems of young adults ravaged the body, whereas the weaker immune systems of children and middle-aged adults caused fewer deaths.

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