Timeline: World History of Viral Pandemics: 412BC to 2009

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(NaturalNews) When observing the swine flu outbreak happening today, it's helpful to have some historical context. Viral pandemics are not unusual, and talking about one isn't "alarmist." Pandemics are a regular feature of life on earth, and they occur with surprising regularity throughout world history.

Wherever there are masses of people, there are opportunities for viruses to spread. It is especially important to note that even with all of today's "advanced" medical technology (which really isn't that advanced in many ways), today's swine flu virus eluded all the world's infectious disease authorities, spreading to more than seven different countries before it even appeared on the CDC's radar. Modern technology, it turns out, is no more effective at halting the spread of swine flu than having no technology at all.

Here's a timeline of all the larger pandemics recorded throughout human history. This timeline is borrowed from the book How to Beat the Bird Flu by Mike Adams. The full book can be purchased in downloadable or hardcopy editions at www.TruthPublishing.com.



412 BC – Major epidemic of a disease (which, although not called influenza, probably was influenza) recorded by Hippocrates.

1357 AD – The term, "influenza," from the Italian word meaning "influence," was coined. Popular belief at that time blamed the development of flu on the influence of the stars.

1485 – "Sweating sickness," a flu-like malady, sickens hundreds of thousands of people in Britain. The Lord Mayor of London, his successor and six aldermen die. The Royal Navy cannot leave port due to the sickness of sailors. Doctors prescribe tobacco juice, lime juice, emetics, cathartics and bleeding as treatments for the disease.

1580 – First recorded influenza pandemic begins in Europe and spreads to Asia and Africa.

1700s – Influenza pandemics in 1729-1730, 1732-1733, 1781-1782.

1781 – Major epidemic causing high mortality among the elderly spreads across Russia from Asia.

1830 – Major epidemic causing high mortality among the elderly spreads across Russia from Asia.

1831, 1833-1834 – Influenza pandemics hit.

1847-1848 – Influenza sweeps through the Mediterranean to southern France and then continues across in Western Europe.

1878 – A disease causing high mortality in poultry becomes known as the "fowl plague." Fowl plague is now called HPAI avian influenza.

1889-1890 – The "Russian flu" spreads through Europe and reaches North America in 1890.

1900 – Major epidemic.

1918-1919 – The "Spanish Flu" circles the globe (though some experts think it may have started in the U.S.). Caused by an H1N1 flu virus, it is the worst influenza pandemic (and subsequently, epidemic) to date. There are more than half a million U.S. deaths; worldwide death estimates range from 20 million to 100 million. According to WebMD, "The pandemic comes before the era of antibiotics -- which are now essential in treating the secondary bacterial infections that often kill flu-weakened patients -- so it's difficult to say whether this flu would have the same dreadful impact in the modern world. But it is a very frightening disease, with very high death rates among young, previously healthy adults."

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