Explaining a Concept

Sick as a Pig

The book “Killer Germs” colorfully depicts the disasters that can come from outbreaks of microbes and diseases that threaten humanity. “The story begins on February 4, 1976. Private David Lewis, stationed at the Fort Dix army base in New Jersey, was suffering from a bout of flu. Nonetheless, he foolishly went on a five-mile march in the dead of winter. Following the march, suffering from high fever and respiratory distress, he collapsed and died. Young, healthy men do not usually succumb to influenza” (Zimmerman 144).

The Swine flu or H1N1 virus has once again made a prevalent breakout in the world as it did in the early 1900’s and the 1970’s. This virus is very mysterious taking the lives of even the healthiest of our population. Having originated years ago, many of the general public do not know much about the very dangerous virus. If we do not educate ourselves properly about the H1N1 virus, we may find ourselves running into similar problems that we have faced in the past.

The world was plagued by illness in 1918. The rapid spread of the “Spanish Flu” took the lives of 20 million people worldwide (Zimmerman xii). The Spanish Flu was caused by the influenza strand of H1N1, which is also the strand of influenza that causes Swine Flu (Morilla 30). Never before had this particular strand of flu been affecting humans. In the summer of 1918 the cases of H1N1 infection was moderate until it broke out worldwide, infecting one third of the entire population. Many of the infected suffered from fevers higher than 105 degrees Fahrenheit and lung infection. Most of the deaths were from bacterial lung infections that moved in during the battle with the virus (Swine Flu). The virus went dormant in humans until its second outbreak in 1976.

While the virus in humans was dormant from 1919 to 1975, the virus was still affecting the pig population. In 1931 swine flu exploded in Iowa. They “found sick pigs all over the place”(Crosby 298). The virus stayed amongst pigs until 1976 when the virus jumped to humans.

In 1976, with the infection of Private David Lewis with H1N1, many feared the worst. By the end of January, Fort Dix medical commander Colonel Joseph Bartley had a widespread flu problem on his hands. Over 300 recruits were hospitalized and quarantined with flu like symptoms (Garrett 154). These numbers caused a great stir with the government officials. On March 24, less than two months after the death of Private Lewis, President Gerald Ford met with a blue-ribbon panel of the world’s top virologists. The doctors convened and came to a conclusion that the dangers were great enough to warrant a nationwide vaccination program. The United States government made a grave mistake with the Swine Flu vaccine in 1976. By October 14^th, twelve people had died from complications of the vaccine and others were diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Guillain Barré syndrome (Zimmerman 145). The vaccination created more problems than the actual virus did. Hopefully future vaccines do not have similar complications.

The most recent outbreak in the spring of 2009 caused the Mexican government to close most of Mexico City’s public and private offices and facilities to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico to be a pandemic. From there the virus has spread globally killing 6,508 people to date (CDC).

The signs and symptoms of the Swine Flu are just like those of the seasonal flu: fatigue, headaches, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, cough, loss of appetite, muscle aches, and vomiting (Swine Flu). You should take these everyday steps to prevent yourself from contracting the virus. 1. Wash your hands often with soap and water. 2. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. 3. Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth. 4. Try to avoid contact with sick people (Swine Flu).

There have been 3 confirmed cases of H1N1 at Fairfield University this semester and the number of cases will only increase if students do not take proper precautions (Fairfield University). The virus is easily transmitted at colleges because students live in close spaces in the dormitories. Fairfield University is taking many precautions setting up hand sanitation centers all over campus and quarantining those with flu like symptoms. Those who have been experiencing flu like symptoms are sent home. Students who test positive for the H1N1 virus are not able to return to school until the virus has become dormant (Fairfield University).

The outbreak of the H1N1 virus in 1918 was highly due to the poor health care system they had back then. Now, we are very advanced with our medical systems. The threat of a breakout the size of the one in 1918 is not imminent but we must take precautions to make sure we do not give the virus a chance to affect the majority of our population. As we saw in 1976 with the death of Private David Lewis, the virus can affect even the healthiest of our population.