Pandemics

Facts About an Influenza Pandemic

Five to 20 percent of the U.S. population is infected with influenza each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to World Health Organization epidemiological records there has been an average of three flu...

How to Prevent an Influenza Pandemic

Pandemics refer to infectious diseases that spread easily between people, regardless of their location. The Centers for Disease Control has created specific precautionary policies in schools and in the workplace to prevent such an influenza...

How to Prevent Pandemic Flu

Individually treating the flu is a moderate task; however, preventing an outbreak of pandemic flu is a much larger task. A disease or illness becomes a pandemic when it spreads at an accelerated rate, limiting the ability of medical professionals...

Symptoms of a Swine Flu Pandemic

According to the World Health Organization, the swine flu is a pandemic with laboratory-confirmed cases identified in more than 200 countries by the end of 2009. Swine flu, also known as H1N1 flu, produces a spectrum of disease ranging from mild...

Facts on the Influenza Pandemic of 1918

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also called the "Spanish Flu," killed more people than any other virus in recorded history, according to the National Archives. This deadly virus was responsible for killing over 50 million people worldwide and...

List of Influenza Strands

Influenza is a negative RNA-strand type virus that can be classified as virus strand types A, B and C. Influenza is a highly contagious virus that in the winter months causes many respiratory tract infections. The most serious are the...

Types of Influenza

The influenza virus has three classifications; type A, B and C. Influenza spreads rapidly and can occur as local or regional epidemics or global pandemics. While becoming infected with any strain of influenza virus leads to immunity to that...

What Are the Different Kinds of Flu?

Several different yet closely related viruses cause influenza, or the flu. Three influenza virus groups---types A, B and C---belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, which includes a variety of viruses that infect birds and mammals....

Impact of the Influenza Virus on Humans

Influenza viruses are capable of wreaking havoc on society and on individuals. The impact on public health has been tremendous over the course of history, and previous pandemics have resulted in the deaths of thousands. However, influenza may mean...

Different Flu Viruses

There are three different types of influenza virus. Types A and B tend to spread rapidly and can occur either in regional outbreaks called epidemics, or worldwide outbreaks called pandemics. Type C influenza virus is the least severe of all three....

Different Types of Flu Viruses

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu is as an infection caused by influenza viruses. The CDC estimates that an average of 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths in the United States are attributed to these...

What Are the Different Types of Influenza?

The influenza virus causes a respiratory disease often called "the flu." The New York State Health Department reports that more than 200,000 people infected with the flu are hospitalized every year, and about 36,000 people die from the flu every...

About Spanish Influenza

Spanish Influenza is the common name for the flu virus that caused the 1918-1919 pandemic that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers dub "the mother of all pandemics." The Spanish Influenza pandemic is credited for up to 100...

About the Flu Virus

Mammals and birds harbor flu viruses; avian strains typically are passed from aquatic birds or ducks to chickens or pigs, which are intermediate hosts. People then pass human influenza to these hosts, where the viruses combine to produce a new...

A List of Epidemic Diseases

Over the centuries, many epidemic diseases have wiped out huge portions of the population. From cholera and small pox to the Black Death and influenza, the wide and rapid spread of diseases have decimated populations, yet in a way, have led to...

Three Types of Influenza Virus

When you hear that someone has the flu, you probably think of aches, pains and fever that are associated with it. While these are common flu symptoms, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there are actually three...

The Definition of Influenza Subtypes

Many viral illnesses are casually called "the flu." However, true influenza is caused by specific viruses in the family Orthomyxoviridae. There are many forms of the influenza virus, which are categorized by types, subtypes and strains. Only...

Physical Effects of the Spanish Flu

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 has been dubbed "the mother of all pandemics" by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because it remains one of the most lethal outbreaks of infectious disease in human history,...

The Effects of the Spanish Flu

The Spanish flu was an H1N1 virus related to the 2009 swine flu, but the 1918 pandemic was caused by a much more lethal form. One-fifth of the world's population became infected and 50 to 100 million people died, more than from any other illness,...

What Are the Three Main Types of Influenza?

The influenza virus is divided into three main types titled type A, type B and type C, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Humans can be infected by all three types of influenza. Type A influenza is divided into multiple...

What is the Influenza Virus?

Influenza are simple viruses, composed of a ribonucleic acid genome surrounded by a protein shell. These viruses are responsible for the infectious disease influenza, which affects birds and mammals, inducing symptoms, which include fever, chills,...

Diagnosis of Influenza Virus

Influenza is a viral illness that usually occurs during the late fall, winter and early spring months. There are several types of influenza viruses, with influenza A and B being the most common types that cause illness in humans. Each season, a...

What Medications Are Used Against Influenza?

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious upper respiratory tract condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, three types of influenza viruses exist: Types A, B or C. Type A is the cause of pandemics while type B causes smaller outbreaks....

The Symptoms of Spanish Influenza

The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-19 has been dubbed "the mother of all pandemics" by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) because it remains one of the most lethal outbreaks of infectious disease in human...

What Are the Differences in Influenza Types

The influenza virus is a highly contagious virus that infects the epithelial cells of the respiratory tracts, notes Microbiology and Immunology Online, a website provided by the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. The influenza virus...

Types of Influenza Virus

Influenza, known as the flu, is a common virus that causes illness in ducks, chickens, whales, horses, pigs, seals and humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Influenza is technically part of the orthomyxovirus...

Causes of the Flu

Influenza, also known simply as the flu, is a year round virus that can cause serious illness and even death. Everyone is susceptible to the flu--even if you obtained an annual flu shot, there are other flu strains that can still infect you....

Bird Flu Health Video (Video)

Bird flu has led to the deaths of hundreds of millions of wild and domestic birds and to a small number of human deaths. Bird flu remains difficult for humans to contract. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of bird flu in...