1957–1958 influenza pandemic

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1957–1958 influenza pandemic
Sick people in Sweden in a stadium that has been made into a hospital
DiseaseInfection
Virus strainInfluenza H2N2 virus
LocationWorldwide
DateFebruary 1957-1958 (Possible 1959)

The 1957-58 influenza pandemic, also called Asian flu was a time when many people caught H2N2 influenza A and became sick. Westerners first learned about this influenza when it was in Singapore. It killed 1.1 million people.[1]

The influenza virus that caused the pandemic had an HA antigen and NA antigen that scientists had never seen before, so they named it "H2N2."[2]

The 1957 influenza pandemic was the first time scientists truly studied how influenza could move through large groups of people who had not had vaccines that worked against it yet.[2]

References[change | change source]

  1. "1957-1958 Pandemic (H2N2 virus)". United States Centers for Disease Control. 22 January 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Edwin D. Kilbourne (2006). "Influenza Pandemics of the 20th Century". Emerg Infect Dis. 12 (1): 9–14. doi:10.3201/eid1201.051254. PMC 3291411. PMID 16494710.