Emily is a health news writer based in London, United Kingdom. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Durham University and a master's degree in clinical and therapeutic neuroscience from Oxford University. She has worked in science communication, medical writing and as a local news reporter while undertaking journalism training.
The 1918 flu was one of the deadliest pandemics in history, killing at least 50 million people worldwide. It was long believed that young, healthy adults were just as likely to die from the illness as those who were older, sick or frail — but a new study has turned this idea on its head.
"Even in a novel pandemic — one to which no one is supposed to have prior immunity — certain people are at a greater risk of getting sick and dying, and this is often shaped by culture," Amanda Wissler, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of anthropology at McMaster University in Ontario, told Live Science in an email. In other words, people who are already disadvantaged in terms of their health or socioeconomic status tend to be more vulnerable to outbreaks, she said.
People who had active shinbone lesions were considered the frailest, and compared with people with healed lesions, they were more likely to die before and during the pandemic. During the pandemic, their risk of death was 2.7 times greater than that of people who had healed lesions.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New study debunks myth about 1918 flu pandemic victimsInteresting Engineering is a cutting edge, leading community designed for all lovers of engineering, technology and science.
Read more »
Woman charged with fatally stabbing a Lincoln University student said she never intended to kill anyoneNydira Smith testified Tuesday that she feared for her life, and her brother's, when she wielded a knife during a brawl at the university in February 2022.
Read more »
She was Britain’s last witch—and she lived in the 20th centuryHelen Duncan made a living from conducting séances—until her uncanny knowledge of classified World War II tragedies spooked British authorities.
Read more »
Fossils, Skeletons to Rub Shoulders Iris van Herpen Fashions in ParisThe upcoming retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris will showcase about 100 haute couture creations alongside artworks and artifacts.
Read more »
Evidence from the remains of 1918 flu pandemic victims contradicts long-held belief that healthy young adults were particularly vulnerableNew analysis of the remains of victims of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, contradicts the widespread belief the flu disproportionately impacted healthy young adults.
Read more »
The 1918 flu pandemic didn’t kill large numbers of healthy people in their prime, CU Boulder study suggestsÓscar A. Contreras is a Murrow-nominated journalist who has been writing for the E.W. Scripps Company since January 2014.
Read more »