Health Topics

The History of Influenza

Influenza has been a major problem for as long as people have been around. Hippocrates gave us one of the first records of the illness around 410 B.C., describing a highly contagious disease spreading across northern Greece. Obviously, we can’t know for sure if he was talking about the influenza virus as we know it today. Still, the characteristics he wrote down are suspiciously reminiscent of the modern-day flu. The actual word influenza started in Florence, Italy, in 1357 during an epidemic where the disease was referred to as “influenza di freddo,” which translates to “cold influence.” The term was thought to have arisen from the disease’s association with cold weather.

A Tale of Two Flus

There are actually two “influenzas” out there. The first influenza is the viral influenza we are all familiar with. There’s also a bacteria called haemophilus influenzae. It was mistakenly named by a doctor named Richard Pfeiffer. Dr. Pfeiffer isolated a bacteria from patients who were particularly sick with a disease that at the time was termed influenza and then decided to name the bug haemophilus influenzae.

The problem with naming the bacteria after influenza is that many of the patients didn’t actually have a bacterial infection; they had a viral infection. Unfortunately, both names stuck. This has confused patients and medical students alike because the two things are named the same, but they’re very different.

Haemophilus influenzae — the bacteria also called H.Flu — can be killed by antibiotics. Influenza — the virus — absolutely cannot. Almost universally, you’ve contracted the virus when you get the flu. The only way to know if you got H.Flu is through a bacterial culture. If you get tested for the flu in a doctor’s office and it comes back positive for influenza A or influenza B, you have the virus. It’s also important to note that you need to be physically tested for the flu to say you have it. There are countless other respiratory viruses that can make you sick, most of which are not influenza.

How Does the Flu Spread?

There are a few other misconceptions to clear up, starting with this — there’s no such thing as the stomach flu. Influenza is strictly a respiratory illness. What many people call the stomach flu, health professionals call gastroenteritis, a fancy way of saying that your stomach and intestines are inflamed and irritated. A virus usually causes this, never the influenza virus. There is no such thing as the stomach flu.

While this might seem nitpicky, there are some consequences for this misconception. A treatment for influenza called oseltamivir, also referred to as Tamiflu, won’t do anything for gastroenteritis and might worsen symptoms since Tamiflu can be hard on a person’s stomach.

It’s also important to note the way that influenza spreads compared to the way viral gastroenteritis spreads. Viral gastroenteritis usually spreads through fecal/oral transmission. This can occur when somebody with gastroenteritis doesn’t wash their hands properly and then shakes your hand or makes you something to eat. That’s why employees are supposed to wash their hands before returning to work.

Viral influenza is much more contagious than that. It is so contagious that people can put the virus out into the world simply by talking or breathing quietly. Influenza is airborne, meaning that the virus can live in small micro-droplets of water that float around in the air, waiting for us to breathe them in. Initially, coronaviruses were considered less viable in smaller droplets, meaning they were less airborne. Unfortunately, we’ve discovered this isn’t the case, and coronaviruses are quite comfortable in small droplets.

Let’s propose a scenario: You’re conversing with somebody five feet away. They aren’t coughing, you aren’t touching, and neither of you show any other symptoms of illness.

If that person had any version of viral gastroenteritis, you almost certainly wouldn’t get it.

If that person had a coronavirus, you might very well get it.

If that person had influenza and you didn’t get a flu shot, we know definitively you have a real chance of getting it.

Improving on Previous Flu Pandemics

The most famous influenza pandemic was the so-called Spanish Flu of 1918. It infected an estimated 500 million people, a third of the world’s population at the time, and killed at least 50 million. Presently, we can do quite a bit better than a 1-in-10 death rate during flu season.

First and foremost, we have the flu shot, which — even if you get the flu — lessens the severity of the symptoms. All evidence is quite clear on this point yes — if you get the flu shot, you can still get the flu, but your symptoms will be considerably improved.

We also have something called oseltamivir, Tamiflu, which manages to stop the spread of the flu virus when it gets into your lungs. The thing with Tamiflu, though, is you must take it within 48 hours of symptom onset; otherwise, it’s ineffective. If you wait too long, the virus will have already multiplied and spread throughout your lungs. Tamiflu doesn’t kill viruses as viruses aren’t technically alive; it only seeks to stop the spread. After about 48 hours, the virus will spread as much as it needs to get you sick.

Face masks do prevent the spread of influenza, so if you feel ill, please wear one when you visit the doctor’s office.

And, as always, thoroughly wash your hands.

What If I Don’t Get a Flu Shot?

The flu vaccine isn’t perfect, but it prevents hospitalizations. Annually, more Americans die from influenza than in motor vehicle accidents, so the numbers are significant.

As long as the flu shot is available in doctors’ offices or pharmacies, it can still benefit you. If you’re on the fence about getting your flu shot, come in and we can discuss it together.

Need to get your flu shot? The Des Moines University Clinic — Family Medicine can help. Call 515-271-1710 to schedule your appointment today.