Diseases have been around since the dawn of time. Everybody has succumbed to at least one illness, serious or not, in his or her life. It is a sad but undeniable fact; everybody has an equal chance of getting sick. Even though medical science and technology are continually improving in the present 21st day and age, people need to stop kidding themselves if they start to think that they can develop an impenetrable defense against disease simply because they have partaken of the latest drug or laser technology.
You might be wondering, “Why is Ben saying such morbid things about diseases? Is he against medical advancement?” The short answer to that question is, “No, I am not.” Having been a victim to a number of complicated and strange illnesses since childbirth, I act as a credible source for testifying against the dangers of diseases in today’s rapidly changing society. Although I recognize that diseases vary in type and degree of impact, I did not know that the influenza fit the bill for being one of the scariest health problems.
What exactly is influenza? Personally, I have always thought it was an illness that was tantamount to the flu. It shares many similar symptoms with the common flu like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea [1]. Further, these symptoms can originate from a variety of viruses, bacteria, and even parasites [2]. It is undeniable that influenza is an intimidating and life-impacting condition. It is capable of spreading its virus on a larger scale, infecting not just the nose but also the throat and lungs [3]. Not only that, influenza is feared for its highly contagious state and its capability to affect millions of people every year [4].
When I first learned these facts, I was not that startled, since based on personal experience, having flu-like symptoms did not put my health in dire risk. After several weeks of eating healthy and having plenty of rest, I easily recovered. Due to the simplicity of the recovery process, I was really surprised to discover that influenza was responsible for causing one of the deadliest epidemics in recorded history [5]. During the research process, I learned that influenza devastated the globe in 1918, hitting many populations spanning across age groups during multiple seasons [6]. This was an interesting thing to note; it showed me that everybody and anybody is prone to being exposed to a non-differentiating conundrum.
Due to the fact that literally anybody could become victimized by influenza, there is understandably no determined cause for the problem. At the time of the global epidemic in 1918, many people claimed that the return of the soldiers who fought in World War I was a principal ingredient for the illness [7]. Whoever or whatever contributed to the devastation is not of importance here; it makes sense that the destruction took place, especially after one garners research that shows people did not take precautions against the virus’ spread [8]. Without taking care of themselves in preventing or fighting against this issue, people did not stand a chance. By 1919, influenza had destroyed 675,000 Americans and 20 million people worldwide [9].
