Documentary PBS 1918 Flu

[Rianne]

Stunning. Those who survived give accounts and history of this epidemic, and how it started here in the U.S.



https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexp...lms/influenza/

[obsessed]

It was good but I couldn’t get the children’s play song out of my head for days!

[Birdie Num Nums]

A couple of years ago, the Smithsonian magazine had a great article, called "How the Horrific 1918 Flu Spread Across America":

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histo...ear-180965222/

[swakyaby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdie Num Nums A couple of years ago, the Smithsonian magazine had a great article, called "How the Horrific 1918 Flu Spread Across America": https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histo...ear-180965222/

Wow, that was a great article, even though it was a long one. Thanks for the link, Birdie Num Nums.

[BarbWire]

A couple of years ago I went to the Florence Nightengale museum in London. The special exhibit was about the 1918 Flu -- very well done, complete with hospital tents with the "story" of each cot's occupant, good electronic displays of the spreads, and so on.

In the last exhibit there was a wall display split into two halves -- notables who survived and notables who died, each with a one paragraph biography and a photo.

Cora Crawley was listed on the "notables who survived" side. When I first saw this I was amused, and later realised it was a brilliant way to make the 1918 epidemic "real" to people now, because so many of us "know" Cora.

[michelek]

Is this how covid 19 is going to spread? One wave in the spring and then the whopper in the fall?

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelek Is this how covid 19 is going to spread? One wave in the spring and then the whopper in the fall?

That is possible. The hope is that research and testing among cooperating global powers will produce something specific for treatment and prevention.

[Rianne]

Reality speaking, the only way to prepare for something like this:
-Have adequate PPE supplies for the world population as it increases.
-Scientists/biologists continually mapping genome possibilities for future viruses.


Since viruses are not living things and they only replicate on an organism, our job is to stop replication. When a new virus comes along, one we've never seen, be prepared for that next layer of research. After 100 years and new viruses emerging, I cannot figure out why PPE supplies are in shortage.