Flu :: New flu pandemic would kill 62 million

Lancet study forcasts if a worldwide flu pandemic like the one in 1918-20 were to strike today it would kill between 51 and 81 million people, with 96 per cent of deaths being in poorer countries. The US study was led by Professor Chris Murray of the Harvard Initiative for Global Health.

The researchers used high-quality vital registration data of deaths occuring at the time of the 1918-20 pandemic. From these figures they estimated what the likely globaly mortality would be from a flu pandemic if it happened today.

In recent years, health professionals and the general public alike have been acutely aware of the potential ravages that could result from a flu pandemic.

Although many people might still recall the pandemics of 1968 and 1957, it is the infamous 1918-1920 pandemic–and the possibility of a recurrence on that scale–that causes the most trepidation.


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