The History of Influenza Treatment

Since 1889, six known flu pandemics have swept across the globe, including the Spanish flu in 1918, the Hong Kong flu in 1968 and the swine flu in 2009. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, scientists were just beginning to understand how infectious diseases were transmitted. Early treatment focused on easing symptoms rather than curing the disease.

Medicine

• According to Stanford University, doctors in 1918 often advised influenza patients to take aspirin or salicin to relieve fevers and pain. Doctors prescribed epinephrine for secondary pneumonia brought on by influenza.

Folk Remedies

• Popular folk remedies included salt of quinine and cinnamon mixed with milk to reduce fever. Desperate for a cure, some doctors even resorted to bleeding as a treatment.

Other Treatments

• Doctors advised patients to get plenty of bed rest and fluids. They also suggested cold compresses on the head to help reduce fever.

Biomedical Ideas

• According to the Board on Global Health, scientists began to build on the idea of biomedical treatments when they saw some improvement in patients who were given blood transfusions from people who had previously recovered from the 1918 flu.

Vaccine

• In the 1940s, Dr. Jonas Salk, who later developed the polio vaccine, contributed to the creation of the first influenza vaccine. Each year scientists create the flu shot by choosing three strains that are likely to circulate. The vaccine contains inactive--or dead--flu viruses. Within two weeks of receiving the vaccine, the body creates antibodies to protect against the flu.

Modern Medications

• Today the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allows use of four antiviral medications to treat influenza: amantadine (Symmetrel), approved in 1966; rimantadine (Flumadine), approved in 1993; and zanamivir (Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamilflu), both approved in 1999.