Influenza Pandemics Now, Then, and Again

Origins at eHistory

Most years and for most people flu season is an annoyance. In 2009-10, however, with the pandemic of the H1N1 influenza strain the world was reminded that this seasonal occurrence can become widespread and potentially much more dangerous. As flu season in the northern hemisphere winds down, historian Ann Sealey looks at influenza pandemics past and present to explore how our responses to flu have changed over time. Which lessons we draw from the past, Sealey reminds us, will condition how we respond to the next great flu pandemic.