The influenza (Flu), first described by Hippocrates in 412 BC, is one of the oldest diseases known to man. It was thought in the past to be caused by astrological influences, hence the name.

The first known flu pandemic was in 1580 and there has been nine more in the last 300 years. It was not until 1933 that British scientists first isolated a human flue virus. There are three main flue families A, B, and C. In recent history, three main types of influenza A have circulated freely in humans, each causing a pandemic.

The H1N1, Spanish flu (1918) strain is still in circulation and causes periodic epidemics. The Swine flue pandemic of 2009 was caused by a new variant of it. The 1957 Asian flu pandemic, which killed millions world wide was brought about by H2N2. And the 1968 pandemic of Hong Kong flu introduced H3N2.

The killing power of flu comes from the virus’s ability to mutate, flummoxing the immune system. Just as our bodied build up immunity to one strain, along comes another- often incubated among industrial livestock-for which we are not prepared.

Laboratories across the world constantly monitor flu and noting any changes and identifying new bugs as they appear. At the start of each year, flu experts meet to try to predict which virus will be prevalent in nine months’ time.

The coronavirus of January 2020 is compared to the Spanish flu of 1918. The Spanish flue was most deadly human pandemic in human history. The Spanish flu first erupted in the spring of 1918 but not from Spain. It circled the Globe for next three years. There had been earlier outbreaks in the US and the West. The Spanish flue killed 50 million people worldwide. In general, poorest countries and the least well-off strata of the society suffered most. India has lost 18 million people to the disease, the death toll of the entire First World War.

The laboratories in the UK, Italy and France’s Pasteur Institute have done a lot of research on Virus. The Pasteur Institute, Paris was founded in 1987 and its greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine include pasteurisation and vaccines on Rabies and Anthrax. Over the years, the Pasteur institute discovered and enabled medical science to control plague, diphtheria, tetanus, influenza etc. Latest, they had discovered HIV, responsible for AIDS. Germany has not yet discovered any Virus.

China has invested billions of dollar in its Wuhan research laboratory to do the study/research on biology, micro-organisms, virus, diseases and vaccines to become world’s best research lab in future.

Image result for hospital beds for 1000 people in 2018