A Glimpse into Influenza and Its Pandemics

Influenza is a contagious viral disease whose causative virus belongs to the orthomyxoviridae family. The genome of this virus contains RNA, the various types of which can infect humans, birds and many mammals and cause various symptoms and disorders in their bodies. The first documented report of the epidemic and the widespread outbreak of the disease in human society is considered having started after the First World War. The use of scientific resources and therapeutic experiences in dealing with this epidemic can be helpful in choosing therapeutic approaches and fighting various infectious diseases, including influenza in the present time.

This article has been conducted by literature review in national and international reliable scientific online databases.

Influenza virus causes infection in the respiratory system, which after a latency period of 2-3 days causes symptoms such as fever, myalgia, muscle pain, shortness of breath, cough, etc. The disease can be dangerous in people with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetic and cancer patients and cause the highest mortality rate in them. There are three types of influenza virus: type A, which causes disease in humans and animals, type B, which causes disease in humans and mammals, and type C, which only affects humans. So far, there have been four pandemics of influenza in 1918-1919, 1958-1957, 1968 and 2009, regardless of the type of virus that causes it, in terms of the incidence and mortality, the first pandemic 1918-1919, closely after World War I (1914-1918), stands on the top.

Influenza has become epidemic, both seasonal and epidemic, as well as pandemics, killing millions and causing irreparable damage, as well as financial costs and damage to the global economy. Although the current conditions of medical knowledge and the facilities and equipment required in each historical period are different from each other and sometimes incomparable with the present, basic principles such as improving knowledge and level of public health literacy, personal hygiene and strict implementation of social guidelines, access Vaccination and immunization of people in the community, as well as access to effective drugs for viral infections, have been among the most important foundations and essential achievements in the fight against the spread of influenza in human societies.