Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Dec 1;187(12):2493-2497.
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwy207.

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Cécile Viboud  1 , Justin Lessler  2
Affiliations

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Cécile Viboud et al. Am J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

In commemoration of the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic, the American Journal of Epidemiology has convened a collection of 12 articles that further illuminate the epidemiology of that pandemic and consider whether we would be more prepared if an equally deadly influenza virus were to emerge again. In the present commentary, we place these 12 articles in the context of a growing body of work on the archeo-epidemiology of past pandemics, the socioeconomic and geographic drivers of influenza mortality and natality impact, and renewed interest in immune imprinting mechanisms and the development of novel influenza vaccines. We also highlight persisting mysteries in the origins and severity of the 1918 pandemic and the need to preserve rapidly decaying information that may provide treasure troves for future generations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Stevens J, Corper AL, Basler CF, et al. . Structure of the uncleaved human H1 hemagglutinin from the extinct 1918 influenza virus. Science. 2004;303(5665):1866–1870. - PubMed
    1. Sydenstricker E. Preliminary statistics of the influenza epidemic. Public Health Rep. 1918;33(52):2305–2321. - PubMed
    1. Fraser C, Cummings DA, Klinkenberg D, et al. . Influenza transmission in households during the 1918 pandemic. Am J Epidemiol. 2011;174(5):505–514. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barry JM. The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History. New York, NY: Penguin Books; 2004.
    1. Nelson MI, Worobey M. Origins of the 1918 pandemic: revisiting the swine “mixing vessel” hypothesis. Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(12):2498–2502. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances