Compare and contrast the Spanish Flu of 1918 to the Coronavirus (Research Paper Sample)

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Comparing Spanish Flu and Coronavirus
In the last century, the world has encountered two major health pandemics. The first pandemic, Spanish flu, started in 1918 and ended in 1920 (Barry et al. 1427). The second pandemic, Coronavirus (COVID-19), started late in 2019 and is still ravaging the world in 2021. The Spanish flu started in the last month of World War I, and the H1N1 virus caused it, but there is no universal agreement regarding the origin of the virus. Spain was among the early countries to record cases; the influenza was named Spanish flu. The pandemic is predicted to have killed about 50 million people, and about 500 million people were infected (Barry et al. 1427). The Spanish flu is considered the deadliest pandemic because it killed 10% of the infected people in 3 successive waves. SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), and it is considered to have originated in Wuhan, a major city in Hubei province in China, sometimes in November 2019 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Today, the virus has spread worldwide, infecting more than 3 million people, and caused more than 1.8 million deaths globally. Both Spanish flu and coronavirus are respiratory diseases with similar symptoms, including fever, shortness of breath, dry cough, respiratory distress, and malaise. Coronavirus and Spanish flu have respiratory distress signs that encompass increased breathing rate, nose flaring, and sweating. The following is a comparison of Spanish flu and coronavirus.
Spanish flu hit the world in three successful waves. The first wave occurred in the spring of 1918, and it involved mild illnesses. Those affected developed symptoms such as fever, chills, and fatigue. Victims recovered in a couple of days, and the flu was not highly contagious (Barry et al. 1429). The second wave of the flu started in the fall of the same year. The second wave was highly contagious, and victims could die within hours and days after developing the symptoms. The skins of victims turned blue after the lungs were filled with fluid that led to suffocation. The flu caused life expectancy to plummet within one year. Soldiers were participating in World War I helped in spreading the virus across the world.