Pandemic of 1918

It was on June 27, 1918, when two soldiers died in Berlin of influenza. The virus would eventually steal the lives of what is estimated to have been 50 million people worldwide History of 1918 Flu Pandemic | Pandemic Influenza (Flu) | CDC ; the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century.

Recent research , involving the preserved tissue from the two World War l German soldiers, has uncovered clues of the virus mutating and creating a new strain more adaptable to humans. The soldiers died early on in the pandemic not long after the first illnesses were reported starting in March 1918 1918 Pandemic Influenza Historic Timeline | Pandemic Influenza (Flu) | CDC .

On previously reported H1N1 1918 flu virus strains, from later in the pandemic, two mutations were found that adapted in ways that helped to avoid the human body’s anti-viral defense system. The tissue from the German soldiers’ who died in the first wave, shows a more birdlike strain. The second wave of illness, that was highly fatal, and much more severe as compared with the initial, milder wave, peaked between September and November of 1918.

There was a third wave in the spring and winter of 1919, before subsiding in the summer. Many believed the pandemic had ended, but the true end didn’t actually arrive until more deaths attributed to the virus occurred in the winter of 1920. How did the 1918 Flu Pandemic End? Lessons for COVID-19 | Time