Posted on 01/30/2018 10:14:37 AM PST by rktman
The flu arrived as a great war raged in Europe, a conflict that would leave about 20 million people dead over four years.
In 1918, the flu would kill more than twice that number — and perhaps five times as many — in just 15 months. Though mostly forgotten, it has been called “the greatest medical holocaust in history.”
Experts believe between 50 and 100 million people were killed. More than two-thirds of them died in a single 10-week period in the autumn of 1918.
Never have so many died so swiftly from a single disease. In the United States alone, it killed about 675,000 in about a year — the same number who have died of AIDS in nearly 40 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
2001 actual flu deaths in US-257
2010 actual flu deaths in US <500
Yet, the 36,000 a year number is constantly recycled.
I read that the 1918 flu mostly killed younger people. Middle age and seniors not so much.
Conveniently omitted is the 1975 Swine Flu fiasco where government-provided vaccines killed more people than the flu.
My uncle died in the 1918 flu epidemic at the age of one.
A 68 year old acquaintance of ours died from influenza three weeks ago and while she was being treated her husband of 40 years had a stroke in the waiting room and passed away the same day.
That was the only flu shot I ever got. My mom dutifully took us all to the train station to board the cattle cars.
I’m sorry, wrong place, right analogy. It was the health department where we all lined up like good little minions.
I love doctors visits
Have you had your flu shot?
Nope.
Do you want a flu shot
Nope
Sometimes the next response is “good.”
My son was recently hospitalized for an intestinal surgery. He must have been asked ten times about the flu shot even though his gastroenterologist told us in no uncertain terms not to get it for him.
But they are required to ask every time they wash their hands or something.
Last year, 77 children died of the flu in the US. There’s just no logical way to extrapolate that to 36,000 total.
The same article screamed the 36,000 number then listed 1984 flu PANDEMIC at 8500 deaths.
Money money money money........MONEY
The flu can burn through a nursing facility like napalm.
Nurses aides can be very lax about washing hands etc.
Resident catches the flu, it turns into pneumonia and they’re done.
Season . . . . Flu deaths
2010-2011 . 13,541
2011-2012 . 4,154
2012-2013 . 19,962
2013-2014 . 13,590
2014-2015 . 19,490
There will never be a universal flu vaccine because viruses are different and mutate often.
We are protected against some - but not all of them.
1918 was like a hundred years ago
and a different World
Are you sure they didn’t use gun violence death numbers by accident?
Ok, that is a sad story. Only thing redeeming about such a sad situation is that neither had to mourn the other. But sad.
We didn’t get to 70 by being dumb. :-)
And we are immunized against the Spanish Flu.
The flu vaccine does not prevent you from getting the flu. It lessens the chances and the severity.
Not getting the vaccine is like not buying car insurance because you know people who bought it and still got into an accident.
Hmmmm. Maybe new math rounds all those years up to 36,000. Just sayin’. LOL!
LOL! If folks really understood just how close we are to extinction at any given moment..........
Read the article, there are so many weasel words in their about states not reporting and other stuff. Plus, how many of those are over 36,000? Oh, that would be none.
Plus, not to be morbid or sound uncaring, but about 7000 people die a day in the US of all causes, so even the 19000 over a flu season isn’t out of the ordinary for total deaths.
I’ve only had a flu shot twice. Once in the mid 1990s when my wife was going through a stem cell transplant for breast cancer, and this year since she is fighting gastric cancer. I don’t care if it’s only 10% effective. For her health, 10% is better than nothing.
My grandfather almost died that year and lost his first wife and two children in Dallas.
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