Viruses and bacteria can be dangerous to humans - and have always been.
In the past, some flu waves have had fatal consequences for mankind.
Current flu viruses are usually not life threatening to healthy adults. Bed rest will help cure the viral infection. In old and immunocompromised people, however, there is a risk of a serious disease course. The explosive thing: There are only a few drugs that are causally effective against influenza viruses as a trigger for the flu. Doctors speak of antiviral drugs, i.e. agents that inhibit viruses. As the pharmacy Umschau informs, the drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir are among the substances that are effective against influenza viruses. Antivirals are usually not necessary for people without previous illnesses.
But they can reduce the risk of a serious disease process in people with chronic illnesses, it said.
Medical progress means that seriously ill people can be treated well, from medication to intensive care measures.
It looked different a few hundred years ago.
The development of pharmaceuticals was in its infancy and clinics were nowhere near as well equipped as they are today
.
Whether minimally invasive surgical methods, intensive care beds with ventilators * or infection protection measures: today's clinic standards exceed those of the last centuries.
At that time, people were correspondingly less well prepared against dangerous flu waves,
which resulted in innumerable deaths.
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Spanish, Russian and Asian flu: an overview of serious pandemics
As the German Medical Association informs, three major influenza pandemics occurred in the last century alone.
Around one million to four million people died in 1968 and 1957, and the
Spanish flu killed up to 50 million people in 1918
, it said.
"Experts around the world agree that the occurrence of a new influenza pandemic is only a matter of time," writes the German Medical Association.
An overview of the most severe flu waves of the past centuries:
Spanish flu from 1918 to 1920: 27 to 50 million dead
Asian flu in 1957/58: one million to four million deaths
Hong Kong flu in 1968: one million to four million dead
Swine flu 2009/2010: around 200,000 dead
Russian flu 1977/78: up to 700,000 deaths
Source: br.de, aerzteblatt.de
The flu vaccination is still considered to be the best protection against a serious illness
.
You can find out more about the flu vaccination here:
High-dose flu vaccine available - the expert advises a group in particular to vaccinate in order to relieve hospitals.
(jg) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.