What was the largest flu epidemic in the US?

There have been six major influenza epidemics in the last 140 years, with the 1918 flu pandemic being the most severe; this is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of 50–100 million people. The most recent, the 2009 swine flu pandemic, resulted in under 300,000 deaths and is considered relatively mild.

When was the biggest influenza pandemic?

The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919.

How much of the world’s population was infected with the 1918 influenza virus?

The earliest documented case was March 1918 in Kansas, United States, with further cases recorded in France, Germany and the United Kingdom in April. Two years later, nearly a third of the global population, or an estimated 500 million people, had been infected in four successive waves.

When was the largest American flu pandemic of the 20th century?

Pandemics of the 20th century Three influenza pandemics occurred at intervals of several decades during the 20th century, the most severe of which was the so-called “Spanish Flu” (caused by an A(H1N1) virus), estimated to have caused 20–50 million deaths in 1918–1919.

What’s the deadliest disease in history?

Cholera, bubonic plague, smallpox, and influenza are some of the most brutal killers in human history. And outbreaks of these diseases across international borders, are properly defined as pandemic, especially smallpox, which throughout history, has killed between 300-500 million people in its 12,000 year existence.

What animal did the Spanish flu come from?

The predominant natural reservoir of influenza viruses is thought to be wild waterfowl (Webster et al. 1992). Periodically, genetic material from avian virus strains is transferred to virus strains infectious to humans by a process called reassortment.

What ended the Spanish flu pandemic?

February 1918 – April 1920Spanish flu / Period

What was mortality rate of Spanish flu?

The 675,000 deaths attributed to the influenza epidemic made up 0.64 percent of the total population, a little more than six in every thousand people. By contrast, the more than 500,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 make up about 0.15 percent of the total population, or between one and two in every thousand people.