Abstract
Two devastating pandemics, the Spanish Flu and COVID-19, emerged globally in 1918 from America and 2019 from China, respectively. Influenza virus A H1N1, which caused Spanish Flu and SARS-CoV2, which caused COVID-19, belong to different virus family and bear different structure, genomic organization and pathogenicity. However, the trajectory of the current outbreak of COVID-19 depicts a similar picture of the Spanish Flu outbreak. Estimates suggest that ~500 million infected cases and ~50 million deaths occurred globally from 1918-1919 due to the H1N1 virus. While SARS-CoV2 accounted for ~2 million cases and 130,885 deaths just within three and a half months, and the number is still increasing. To contain the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent the situation which happened a century back, it becomes essential to examine and correlate these pandemics in terms of their origin, epidemiology and clinical scenario. The strategies tailored to control the Spanish Flu pandemic may help to contain the current pandemic within time.
Highlights
A pandemic is an extensive outbreak of a contagious disease, significantly increasing the probability of morbidity and mortality over a wide range of geographical area [1]
The Spanish Flu pandemic was caused by Influenza virus A H1N1, which belongs to the family Orthomyxoviridae, while Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 of family Coronaviridae is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic [5,6] (Fig. 1)
The aim of the current review was to correlate the pattern of both outbreaks as well as explore strategies to contain the COVID-19 outbreak according to similar strategies that were utilised to halt the Spanish Flu pandemic
Summary
A pandemic is an extensive outbreak of a contagious disease, significantly increasing the probability of morbidity and mortality over a wide range of geographical area [1]. The world witnesses pandemics mostly caused by viruses having a high impact on civilization. The current outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] has caused substantial crisis across the globe following a more severe route compared to the other viruses of its family [3]. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 is regarded as the most deadly pandemic the world has faced since 1900 [4]. Such disease outbreaks globally present a great menace to global health. The Spanish Flu pandemic was caused by Influenza virus A H1N1, which belongs to the family Orthomyxoviridae, while SARS-CoV-2 of family Coronaviridae is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic [5,6] (Fig. 1)
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