Spanish flu

The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, caused by an H1N1 influenza A virus, killed tens of millions worldwide and was especially lethal among young adults.

Influenza A virus subtype H1N1: A subtype of influenza A virus defined by its hemagglutinin 1 and neuraminidase 1 surface proteins. The pandemic was caused by an H1N1 influenza A virus.
Camp Funston: A United States Army training camp in Kansas that experienced a major influenza outbreak in March 1918. Its outbreak is one of the earliest documented episodes associated with the pandemic.
1918 influenza pandemic first wave: The comparatively mild wave of pandemic influenza that spread in early 1918. It preceded the far deadlier waves later that year.
Excess mortality: The number of deaths above those expected for a population over a specified period. Historical estimates use excess mortality to measure deaths where influenza records are incomplete.
1918 influenza virus reconstruction: The scientific recovery and laboratory study of genetic sequences from the virus responsible for the 1918 pandemic. Reconstructed viral material has helped test hypotheses about the pathogen’s properties.
Cytokine storm: An excessive immune response in which inflammatory signaling damages the body’s own tissues. An overactive immune response has been proposed as one contributor to severe disease in some young adults.
Etaples military hospital: A large British military hospital complex in northern France during the First World War. A severe respiratory outbreak there in 1916–1917 features in theories about the virus’s early history.
1918 influenza pandemic second wave: The highly lethal wave of pandemic influenza that spread in autumn 1918. This wave produced the pandemic’s greatest mortality in many countries.
Public health: The organized effort to protect and improve the health of populations. The crisis exposed limits in surveillance, medical capacity, and coordinated disease control.
Influenza virus evolution: The genetic change and adaptation of influenza viruses across hosts and over time. The pandemic virus’s ancestry and adaptations remain subjects of evolutionary research.

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