Hong Kong Flu

Antigenic shift is the process by which two different strains of influenza combine to form a new subtype having a mixture of the surface antigens of the two original strains. The term antigenic shift is specific to the influenza literature; in other viral systems, the same process is called reassortment or viral shift. Antigenic shift is contrasted with antigenic drift, which is the natural mutation over time of known strains of influenza (or other things, in a more general sense) to evade the immune system. Antigenic dr ...

Including:

• Antigenic shift - Transmission of Influenza Viruses from Animals to People

Read more here: » Antigenic shift: Encyclopedia - Antigenic shift

Influenza (or as it is commonly known, the flu or the grippe) is a contagious disease of the upper airways and the lungs, caused by an RNA virus of the orthomyxoviridae family. It rapidly spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics, imposing considerable economic burden, in the form of health care costs and lost productivity. Three influenza pandemics in the 20th century, each following a major genetic ...

Including:

• Influenza - Types
• Influenza - Genetics
• Influenza - History
• Influenza - Known epidemics and pandemics - overview
• Influenza - Symptoms
• Influenza - Variability
• Influenza - Flu season
• Influenza - Prevention
• Influenza - Treatment
• Influenza - Avian influenza
• Influenza - Sources

Read more here: » Influenza: Encyclopedia - Influenza

1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). 1968 - Events. 1968 - January. January 5 - Alexander Dubček elected as the leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party - the "Prague Spring" begins in Czechoslovakia. January 15 - An earthquake occurs in Sicily - 231 dead, 262 injured. January 21 - US B-52 Stratofortress crashes in Greenland and in the process discharges four nu ...

Including:

• 1968 - Events
• 1968 - January
• 1968 - February
• 1968 - March
• 1968 - April
• 1968 - May
• 1968 - June
• 1968 - July
• 1968 - August
• 1968 - September
• 1968 - October
• 1968 - November
• 1968 - December
• 1968 - Undated
• 1968 - Births
• 1968 - January
• 1968 - February
• 1968 - March
• 1968 - April
• 1968 - May
• 1968 - June
• 1968 - July
• 1968 - August
• 1968 - September
• 1968 - October
• 1968 - November
• 1968 - December
• 1968 - Deaths
• 1968 - January
• 1968 - February
• 1968 - March
• 1968 - April
• 1968 - May
• 1968 - June
• 1968 - July
• 1968 - August
• 1968 - September
• 1968 - October
• 1968 - November
• 1968 - December
• 1968 - Month/day unknown
• 1968 - Nobel Prizes

Read more here: » 1968: Encyclopedia - 1968

Asian Flu was a pandemic outbreak of avian influenza that originated in China in 1957 and spread worldwide that same year, lasting until 1958. Estimates of worldwide casualty numbers vary widely, ranging from one million to four million people. Asian Flu was of the H2N2 strain (a notation that refers to the configuration of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins in the virus) of type A influenza, and a flu vaccine was dev ...

Read more here: » Asian Flu: Encyclopedia - Asian Flu

Avian influenza (also known as bird flu, avian flu, influenzavirus A flu, type A flu, or genus A flu) is a flu due to a type of influenza virus that is hosted by birds, but may infect several species of mammals. It was first identified in Italy in the early 1900s and is now known to exist worldwide. [1] A strain of the H5N1-type of avian influenzavirus that emerged in 1997 has been identified as the most likely source of a future influenza pandemic and is known to have infected 137 people in Asia sin ...

Including:

• Avian influenza - In nonhumans
• Avian influenza - In humans
• Avian influenza - Infections
• Avian influenza - Prevention and treatment
• Avian influenza - Potential pandemic

Read more here: » Avian influenza: Encyclopedia - Avian influenza

There have been a number of significant pandemics in human history, generally zoonoses that came about with domestication of animals - such as influenza and tuberculosis. There have been a number of particularly significant epidemics that deserve mention above the 'mere' destruction of cities: Peloponnesian War, 430 BCE. An unknown agent killed a quarter of the Athenian troops and a quarter of the population over four years. This disease fatally weakened the dominance of Athens, but the sheer virulence of the disease prevented i ...

See also:

Pandemic, Pandemic - Common killers and pandemics, Pandemic - Pandemics through history, Pandemic - Concern about possible future pandemics, Pandemic - Reference

Read more here: » Pandemic: Encyclopedia II - Pandemic - Pandemics through history

List of wars and disasters by death toll - War and military action. These figures include deaths of civilians from diseases, famine, and atrocities as well as deaths of soldiers in battle. 62,000,000 - World War II (1937–1945), (see World War II casualties) 36,000,000 - An Lushan Rebellion (756–763) 30,000,000–60,000,000 - Mongol Conquests (13th century) 25,000,000 - Manchu Conquest of Ming China (1616–1644) 20,000,000–50,000,000 - Taiping Rebellion (1851 ...

See also:

List of wars and disasters by death toll, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Deaths caused by humans, List of wars and disasters by death toll - War and military action, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Genocide and democide, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Terrorism, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Murder by individuals other than through terrorism, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Human sacrifice and mass suicide, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Riot or political demonstration, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Deaths caused by natural disasters, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Earthquake, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Volcanic eruption, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Tsunami, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Limnic eruption, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Extreme weather, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Hurricane typhoon and tropical cyclone, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Floods, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Blizzards, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Contractible disease, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Famine, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Death from other causes, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Fire, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Explosion, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Coal mine disasters, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Aviation, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Maritime, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Space travel, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Sporting events, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Industrial accidents, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Stampedes and Panics, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Other accidents, List of wars and disasters by death toll - Nuclear accidents

Read more here: » List of wars and disasters by death toll: Encyclopedia II - List of wars and disasters by death toll - Deaths caused by humans

H5N1 is a type of avian influenza virus (bird flu virus) that has mutated[7] through antigenic drift into dozens of highly pathogenic varieties, but all currently belonging to genotype Z of avian influenza virus H5N1. Genotype Z emerged through reassortment in 2002 from earlier highly pathogenic genotypes of H5N1[8] that first appeared in China in 1996 in birds and i ...

See also:

H5N1, H5N1 - Transmission and infection, H5N1 - Global spread, H5N1 - Preparations for a potential influenza pandemic, H5N1 - Technical, H5N1 - Terminology, H5N1 - H5N1 virus structure

Read more here: » H5N1: Encyclopedia II - H5N1 - Technical

There were several serious outbreaks of influenza in the 20th century. The most famous (and the most lethal) was the so-called Spanish Flu pandemic (type A influenza, H1N1 strain), which lasted from 1918 to 1919, and is believed to have killed more people in total than World War I. While the war casualties accumulated over several years, the pandemic took most of its toll over a period of weeks. Lesser flu epidemics included the 1957 Asian Flu (type A, H2N2 strain) and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu (type A, H3N2 strain). Known epidemic ...

See also:

Influenza, Influenza - History, Influenza - Symptoms, Influenza - Flu season, Influenza - Prevention, Influenza - Treatment, Influenza - Variability, Influenza - Avian influenza, Influenza - How H5N1 kills, Influenza - Sources

Read more here: » Influenza: Encyclopedia II - Influenza - History

Note: Some infections are unreported, therefore actual morbidity is somewhat lower. Also the mortality rate so far is far under one percent because so few humans catch the disease in the first place. "Mortalities from a Flu Pandemic Hard to Predict" by Jon Hamilton. Morning Edition, 16 December 2005. [3] Global spread of H5N1 - 1996-2003. "The precursor of the H5N1 influenza virus that spread to humans in 1997 was first detected in Guangdong, China, in 1996, when it caused a moderate numbe ...

See also:

Global spread of H5N1, Global spread of H5N1 - Human and bird cases, Global spread of H5N1 - 1996-2003, Global spread of H5N1 - 2004, Global spread of H5N1 - 2005, Global spread of H5N1 - 2006, Global spread of H5N1 - Pig cases, Global spread of H5N1 - Tigers leopards domestic cats, Global spread of H5N1 - Worst case scenario

Read more here: » Global spread of H5N1: Encyclopedia II - Global spread of H5N1 - Human and bird cases

In February 1998, The Molecular Pathology Division of the US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) recovered samples of the 1918 influenza from the frozen corpse of a Native Alaskan woman buried for nearly eight decades in permafrost near Brevig Mission, Alaska. Brevig Mission lost approximately eighty-five percent of its population to the Spanish flu in November, 1918. One of the four recovered samples contained viable genetic material of the 1918 virus. This sample provided scientists a first hand opportunity to study the virus, which ...

See also:

Spanish flu, Spanish flu - Mutation theory, Spanish flu - Effects of new strain, Spanish flu - Social facts, Spanish flu - Notable victims, Spanish flu - Recent research, Spanish flu - Sources

Read more here: » Spanish flu: Encyclopedia II - Spanish flu - Recent research

"Human influenza virus" usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 are the only known avian flu virus subtypes currently circulating among humans. [19] Genetic factors in distinguishing between "human flu viruses" and "avian flu viruses" include: PB2: (RNA polymerase): Amino acid (or residue) position 627 in the PB2 protein encoded by the PB2 RNA gene. Until H5N1, all known avian influenza viruses "had a Glu at position 627, while all human influenza viruses had a lysine." ...

See also:

Influenzavirus A, Influenzavirus A - Genetics, Influenzavirus A - In nonhumans, Influenzavirus A - In humans, Influenzavirus A - Sources

Read more here: » Influenzavirus A: Encyclopedia II - Influenzavirus A - In humans

"Human influenza virus" usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 are the only known avian flu virus subtypes currently circulating among humans. [18] Genetic factors in distinguishing between "human flu viruses" and "avian flu viruses" include: PB2: (RNA polymerase): Amino acid (or residue) position 627 in the PB2 protein encoded by the PB2 RNA gene. Until H5N1, all known avian influenza viruses "had a Glu at position 627, while all human influenza viruses had a lysine." ...

See also:

Influenzavirus A, Influenzavirus A - Genetics, Influenzavirus A - In nonhumans, Influenzavirus A - In humans, Influenzavirus A - Sources

Read more here: » Influenzavirus A: Encyclopedia II - Influenzavirus A - In humans

Avian influenza - Infections. In humans, avian flu viruses cause similar symptoms to other types of flu. [15] These include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis and, in severe cases, severe breathing problems and pneumonia that may be fatal. The severity of the infection will depend to a large part on the state of the infected person's immune system and if the victim has been exposed to the strain before, and is therefore partially immune. In one case, a boy with H5N1 experienced diarrhea followed rapidly by a coma without developing respiratory or flu-like sym ...

See also:

Avian influenza, Avian influenza - In nonhumans, Avian influenza - In humans, Avian influenza - Infections, Avian influenza - Prevention and treatment, Avian influenza - Potential pandemic

Read more here: » Avian influenza: Encyclopedia II - Avian influenza - In humans

Wild fowl act as natural asymptomatic carriers of avian flu virus. Prior to the current H5N1 epizootic, strains of avian influenza virus had been demonstrated to be transmitted from wild fowl to only birds, pigs, horses, seals, whales and humans; and only between humans and pigs and between humans and domestic fowl; and not other pathways such as domestic fowl to horse. [7] H5N1 has been shown to be also transmitted to tigers, leopards, ...

See also:

Influenzavirus A, Influenzavirus A - Subtypes, Influenzavirus A - Annual flu, Influenzavirus A - Genetics, Influenzavirus A - In nonhumans, Influenzavirus A - In humans, Influenzavirus A - Sources

Read more here: » Influenzavirus A: Encyclopedia II - Influenzavirus A - In nonhumans

1968 - January. January 5 - Alexander Dubček elected as the leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party - the "Prague Spring" begins in Czechoslovakia. January 15 - An earthquake occurs in Sicily - 231 dead, 262 injured. January 21 - US B-52 Stratofortress crashes in Greenland and in the process discharges four nuclear bombs. January 23 - North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship violated its territorial waters while spying. See also:

1968, 1968 - Events, 1968 - January, 1968 - February, 1968 - March, 1968 - April, 1968 - May, 1968 - June, 1968 - July, 1968 - August, 1968 - September, 1968 - October, 1968 - November, 1968 - December, 1968 - Undated, 1968 - Births, 1968 - January, 1968 - February, 1968 - March, 1968 - April, 1968 - May, 1968 - June, 1968 - July, 1968 - August, 1968 - September, 1968 - October, 1968 - November, 1968 - December, 1968 - Deaths, 1968 - January, 1968 - February, 1968 - March, 1968 - April, 1968 - May, 1968 - June, 1968 - July, 1968 - August, 1968 - September, 1968 - October, 1968 - November, 1968 - December, 1968 - Month/day unknown, 1968 - Nobel Prizes

Read more here: » 1968: Encyclopedia II - 1968 - Events

There are three genera of the virus, identified by antigenic differences in their nucleoprotein and matrix protein: Influenza A viruses are known to infect humans, other mammals and birds (see also avian influenza) Influenza B viruses are known to infect humans and seals Influenza C viruses are known to infect humans and pigs [1]. The A type of influenza virus is the type most likely to cause epidemics and pandemics. This is because the influenza A virus can undergo antigenic shift and present a n ...

See also:

Influenza, Influenza - Types, Influenza - Genetics, Influenza - History, Influenza - Known epidemics and pandemics - overview, Influenza - Symptoms, Influenza - Variability, Influenza - Flu season, Influenza - Prevention, Influenza - Treatment, Influenza - Avian influenza, Influenza - Sources

Read more here: » Influenza: Encyclopedia II - Influenza - Types

There are three genera of the virus, identified by antigenic differences in their nucleoprotein and matrix protein: Influenza A viruses are known to infect humans, other mammals and birds (see also avian influenza) Influenza B viruses are known to infect humans and seals Influenza C viruses are known to infect humans and pigs [1]. The A type of influenza virus is the type most likely to cause epidemics and pandemics. This is because the influenza A virus can undergo antigenic shift and present a n ...

See also:

Influenza, Influenza - Types, Influenza - Genetics, Influenza - History, Influenza - Known epidemics and pandemics - overview, Influenza - Symptoms, Influenza - Variability, Influenza - Flu season, Influenza - Prevention, Influenza - Treatment, Influenza - Avian influenza, Influenza - Sources

Read more here: » Influenza: Encyclopedia II - Types

There were several serious outbreaks of influenza in the 20th century. The most famous (and the most lethal) was the so-called Spanish Flu pandemic (type A influenza, H1N1 strain), which lasted from 1918 to 1919, and is believed to have killed more people in total than World War I. While the war casualties accumulated over several years, the pandemic took most of its toll over a period of weeks. Lesser flu epidemics included the 1957 Asian Flu (type A, H2N2 strain) and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu (type A, H3N ...

See also:

Influenza, Influenza - Types, Influenza - Genetics, Influenza - History, Influenza - Known epidemics and pandemics - overview, Influenza - Symptoms, Influenza - Variability, Influenza - Flu season, Influenza - Prevention, Influenza - Treatment, Influenza - Avian influenza, Influenza - Sources

Read more here: » Influenza: Encyclopedia II - History

Influenza A viruses contain their genome in eight separate linear segments of negative-sense RNA, which code for ten proteins (eleven for type A if including the novel PB1-F1 protein) [2]. Each segment contains a single gene, but some can be read twice at different starting points to create two distinct proteins. The segmented nature of the genome also allows for the exchange of entire genes between different viral strains when they cohabitate the same cell. The 8 genes are: HA gene encoding hemagglutinin which produces about 50 ...

See also:

Influenza, Influenza - Types, Influenza - Genetics, Influenza - History, Influenza - Known epidemics and pandemics - overview, Influenza - Symptoms, Influenza - Variability, Influenza - Flu season, Influenza - Prevention, Influenza - Treatment, Influenza - Avian influenza, Influenza - Sources

Read more here: » Influenza: Encyclopedia II - Genetics