Article
History
Michail Raftakis
Summary: The 1918-19 influenza pandemic was the most lethal pandemic in contemporary history. Exceptionally high mortality levels were also found in Hermoupolis during the 1918 pandemic. Mortality increased within every age group, with young adults and adults experiencing the largest excess mortality.
SOCIAL HISTORY OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Livia V. Patrono, Bram Vrancken, Matthias Budt, Ariane Duex, Sebastian Lequime, Sengul Boral, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Jan F. Gogarten, Luisa Hoffmann, David Horst, Kevin Merkel, David Morens, Baptiste Prepoint, Jasmin Schlotterbeck, Verena J. Schuenemann, Marc A. Suchard, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Luisa Tenkhoff, Christian Urban, Navena Widulin, Eduard Winter, Michael Worobey, Thomas Schnalke, Thorsten Wolff, Philippe Lemey, Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Summary: The 1918 influenza pandemic had a significant impact on the genomic make-up of subsequent human influenza A viruses, and the analysis of 1918 IAV genomes revealed diversity consistent with local transmission and long-distance dispersal. Variations in the nucleoprotein gene were found before and during the pandemic peak, suggesting possible adaptation of the 1918 IAV to humans. This study provides valuable insights into the origin and evolution of the 1918 influenza pandemic.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Demography
Martin Eiermann, Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, James J. Feigenbaum, Jonas Helgertz, Elaine Hernandez, Courtney E. Boen
Summary: During the 1918 influenza pandemic, there was a significant reduction in influenza and pneumonia mortality disparities between non-White and White populations in US cities. This study provides a comprehensive account of these reduced racial disparities and examines potential explanations, including sociodemographic factors, differences in exposure to the preceding viral wave, and childhood influenza exposures. While the first three explanations did not have strong evidence, it is suggested that childhood exposure to a previous influenza pandemic may have contributed to shrinking racial disparities in 1918.
Article
Business, Finance
Wenxuan Hou, Mao Li, Brian G. M. Main, Xiaofan Liu
Summary: This study examines the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic on present-day financial development. The findings suggest that regions with higher historical death rates are associated with lower levels of trust, leading to financial obstacles for firms and decreased use of credit cards and mortgages by households.
JOURNAL OF CORPORATE FINANCE
(2023)
Article
Economics
Brian Beach, Karen Clay, Martin Saavedra
Summary: This article reviews the global health and economic consequences of the 1918 influenza pandemic, focusing on topics that have gained renewed interest due to COVID-19. It provides an overview of key contextual and epidemiological details, as well as available data. The effects on mortality, fertility, and the economy in the short and medium term are examined, with a discussion on the role of non-pharmaceutical interventions. The article also explores the long-lasting health consequences and their impact on human capital accumulation and socioeconomic status, highlighting important areas for future research.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC LITERATURE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeremy R. Keown, Zihan Zhu, Loic Carrique, Haitian Fan, Alexander P. Walker, Itziar Serna Martin, Els Pardon, Jan Steyaert, Ervin Fodor, Jonathan M. Grimes
Summary: Influenza A viruses cause significant burdens to healthcare systems through seasonal epidemics and global pandemics. The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase plays a central role in the replication cycle of influenza viruses and is a potential target for antiviral development. By characterizing the inhibitory effect of nanobodies on the 1918 pandemic influenza virus polymerase complex, sensitive sites interfering with polymerase activity in vitro were identified, suggesting them as effective targets for potential influenza antiviral development.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lauren E. Stone
Summary: In the early twentieth century, early neurosurgical pioneers faced personal and professional losses but persevered to push neurosurgery towards modernity, which serves as a reflection point for the specialty amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
J. Alexander Navarro, Howard Markel
Summary: The article explores the similarities between acts of protest during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic and the current COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It suggests that the motivations for pushback against public health measures during the 2020 pandemic are more politically driven compared to a century ago.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Virology
Mable Chan, Meenakshi Tiwary, Helen L. Wu, Nikesh Tailor, Robert Vendramelli, Jonathan Audet, Bryce M. Warner, Kevin Tierney, Alix Albietz, Thang Truong, Kaylie Doan, Alexander Bello, Marnie Willman, Bryan D. Griffin, Patrick W. Hanley, Jamie Lovaglio, David Safronetz, Jim Strong, Jonah B. Sacha, Darwyn Kobasa
Summary: The world remains at risk of an influenza pandemic, and the development of new therapeutic and preventative modalities is critically important. While animal models, particularly nonhuman primates like macaques, are central to the development of new therapies and vaccine approaches, rhesus and cynomolgus macaques may not be ideal for testing novel pandemic influenza-specific vaccines and therapies, indicating the need for other physiologically relevant nonhuman primate models.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Siddharth Chandra, Julia Christensen
Summary: By studying the distortions in the age structure of mortality during the 1918 influenza pandemic in Michigan and their correlation with the severity of the pandemic, it was found that these distortions tracked variations in the severity of the pandemic. Therefore, public health authorities can potentially track pandemic activity severity through age-at-death data.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
David M. Morens, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Anthony S. Fauci
Summary: The 1918 influenza pandemic and the 2019-2021 COVID-19 pandemic share similarities in clinical, pathological, and epidemiological features, as well as public health responses and research efforts. Both pandemics had lasting psychosocial effects related to loss and hardship. Reflection on lessons learned from these two deadly pandemics is crucial in addressing the challenges of COVID-19.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
David M. Morens, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Anthony S. Fauci
Summary: Despite being caused by different viruses, the influenza pandemic of 1918 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2019-2021 share similarities in clinical, pathological, and epidemiological features, as well as in responses from civic, public health, and medical sectors. By comparing and contrasting the two pandemics, we have learned valuable lessons over the span of a century and are applying them to the challenges posed by COVID-19.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Celine H. Lemoine, Reviany V. Nidom, Roland Ventura, Setyarina Indrasari, Irine Normalina, Kuncoro Puguh Santoso, Francis Derouet, Christophe Barnier-Quer, Gerrit Borchard, Nicolas Collin, Chairul A. Nidom
Summary: Adequate global vaccine coverage is crucial during an influenza pandemic to mitigate morbidity, mortality, and economic impact. Adjuvant technologies can help increase vaccine doses, extend protection, and potentially enable single-dose vaccination. International cooperation is necessary to meet global vaccine demand.
Article
Economics
Ilan Noy, Toshihiro Okubo, Eric Strobl
Summary: This paper examines the economic impact of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic on the textile sector in Japan. The study finds that the pandemic had a significant adverse effect on textile production, and nonpharmaceutical policy interventions were effective in mitigating the economic consequences.
JOURNAL OF REGIONAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Siddharth Chandra, Julia Christensen, Madhur Chandra, Nigel Paneth
Summary: The global influenza pandemic in 1918 serves as a reference point for policymakers, with a recent study focusing on multiple waves of excess mortality in Michigan from 1918 to 1920. The state experienced up to four waves of excess mortality, with the severe wave in early 1920. The twin waves in late 1918 were likely linked to the timing of a statewide social distancing order.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)