Infectious diseases

Name: Hong Kong influence

Year: 1968-1969

Dead: around 1,000,000

The Hong Kong Flu was a flu pandemic that started in Hong Kong in 1968 and spread to the United States in the same year. The spread of the disease stopped the following year, 1969.

The virus recovered in the late 1969 and early 1970, and again in 1972. In this recovery, in Italy it was nicknamed spatial influence. In Italy it caused about 20,000 deaths in 1969-70.

Hong Kong Flu is an avian (or type A) flu, in particular the first known case of an epidemic due to the H3N2 strain, an acronym that refers to the configuration of the surface viral glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N).

The symptoms of the infection are the upper respiratory symptoms typical of the flu, chills, fever, muscle pain and weakness. These symptoms usually persisted for four to six days. The highest mortality levels were associated with the most sensitive groups, namely infants and the elderly. Although a virus vaccine was developed, it was only available after the pandemic peaked in many countries.

Source: web