Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, is talked about very often, but what exactly is it? No one really knows where the virus originated, but some researchers have their theories. The flu first spread worldwide in 1918, towards the end of World War 1. According to the Pan American Health Organization, the influenza virus spread very quickly, affecting 21 million people in just 4 months! As the virus spread, many pharmaceutical companies worked to create a vaccine, but unfortunately they didn’t work fast enough. The virus vanished before anyone could even isolate it. 

Although a vaccine wasn’t made back in 1918 when the virus first appeared, one was eventually made in the 1940s by a research group at the University of Michigan led by Thomas Francis, Jr., MD and Jonas Salk, MD. As stated by Families Fighting Flu, Francis and Salk’s vaccine used  fertilized chicken eggs, which is actually a method that is still used today. This vaccine is still being updated and improved regularly. In fact, there are three different types of flu vaccines that are approved by the FDA. They are the egg-based flu vaccine, the cell-culture based flu vaccine, and the recombinant flu vaccine. 

Although there are vaccines readily available each year, less and less people are getting their flu shots. The CDC communicates that around 7 million fewer people have gotten their flu shots so far this year compared to last year. This has led to a 200% increase in hospitalizations in the past four weeks. Low vaccination rates are leaving many people at risk for severe disease. The flu vaccine is still the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu, and “high immunization uptake” would lower the number of hospitalizations significantly. Although the influenza is most common in the south, it is still high or moderate in over half of the US states. The CDC estimated that there were at least 3.7 million illnesses, 38,000 hospitalizations and 2,300 deaths from the flu this season. These high numbers can act as a reminder of the importance of the vaccination. While flu cases tend to peak during the winter, the virus can still circulate all year round, and its impact can be much more severe for those who are more vulnerable, including the elderly, children, and people with other health conditions. 

The history of influenza highlights the devastating impacts of the virus, as well as the significant progress that has been made in controlling it. Although the development of the flu vaccine has been a major success, the fight against the flu is far from over. With the declining vaccination rates and a continued risk of flu hospitalization, it is crucial that more people get vaccinated to protect not only themselves but also their communities.