Salt Lake Valley Health Department
Quick Links | Report a ... | Contact Us | Events | Media | FAQ | Clinics
H1N1/Swine Flu
Pandemic History
Pandemics and scares
A flu epidemic happens when a virus spreads rapidly through a population. This happens nearly every year. A pandemic occurs when a virus changes dramatically and spreads easily across the world, which is not so common. Check out some of the flu pandemics -- and scares -- of the last century.
1918: Spanish flu pandemic
More than 500,000 people died in the United States and up to 50 million worldwide may have died in the 1918-1919 Spanish flu pandemic. An estimated 20 percent to 40 percent of the world's population fell ill during the worst-ever outbreak, which is thought to have spread through troop movement in World War I. The Spanish flu worked quickly, sometimes infecting and killing a person in the same day. Unlike other flu viruses, the Spanish flu killed healthy adults.
1957: Asian flu pandemic
The Asian flu pandemic claimed nearly 70,000 lives in the United States after spreading from China. Experts identified the virus quickly and created a vaccine available in limited quantities. Spread largely through schoolchildren who brought the virus home to their families, the Asian flu virus caused the most deaths among the elderly population.
1968: Hong Kong flu pandemic
The Hong Kong flu pandemic killed approximately 34,000 in the United States, making it the mildest pandemic in the 20th century. Researchers said the lower severity could have been because the illness peaked during school holidays. Also, an existing similar flu had created some immunity to the new strain. The elderly population was the hardest hit by the virus, first detected in Hong Kong in early 1968.
1976: Swine flu scare
The swine flu virus -- or "killer virus" as it was first dubbed -- caused a scare when it was identified in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Fortunately, the virus did not spread, but more than 40 million Americans were vaccinated amid warnings that the virus could cause a pandemic
1977: Russian flu scare
In late 1977 and early 1978, a flu virus spread around the world, infecting mostly children and adults under age 23. The virus was similar to the Asian flu that circulated in 1957, which experts say might explain why only young people -- who had not developed immunity to the 1957 virus -- were infected with the new virus. Because it primarily affected children, the Russian flu is not considered a true pandemic.
1997: Avian flu scare
An avian flu outbreak hospitalized 18 people in Hong Kong with an infection seen before only in birds. Many chickens in the area were infected with the virus, and officials ordered all chickens slaughtered after six people died