A new virus influenza is spreading in China: H7N9. If the risk of an epidemic has been ruled out by the World Health Organization (WHO), this avian virus awakens bad memories. Commonly known as “chicken flu”, this viral infection affects birds and in some cases can cause serious infections in humans. Back to the main pandemics.
1918: H1N1
This first flu, which came from Spain during the First World War, is responsible for the death of 20 to 40 million people. The H1N1 virus has passed directly from birds to humans.
1957: H2N2
Identified for the first time in China, before reaching the United States, this virus comes from a mixture between a human strain and a strain originating from Chinese ducks. It caused the death of 1 to 4 million people.
1968: H3N2
This new type of virus, which originated in Hong Kong, has spread around the world at a record speed: one year. One million infected people have died from it.
2005-2006: H5N1
The H5N1 virus first infected humans in 1997 in Hong Kong. Back in 2003 and 2004, it spread from Asia to Europe and Africa, causing millions of infections in birds and many deaths in humans. In total, around 300 people have died from the virus, knowing that the risk of seeing it again is not negligible.
2009: H1N1
Still present in people’s minds, influenza A virus appeared in Mexico before spreading to the rest of the planet. Unlike the H7N9 virus, N1N1 is transmissible between humans. France has implemented a global vaccination which has not met with great success. Only 5 million people were vaccinated for 94 million vaccines purchased. A total of 18,500 deaths have been confirmed worldwide.
2013: H7N9
The virus currently spreading in China is of avian origin, but very different from the previous ones. In the patient, it causes severe pneumonia but it is not transmissible from man to man. So far, 14 deaths have been identified and a vaccine is being developed.
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