The USA and several parts of the world are being ravaged by the H3N2 virus, a particularly nasty version of the seasonal flu that has reached epidemic proportions in many areas.
We are starting to see articles in the prepper community that erroneously state that this year’s H3N2 is similar to the big “killer” pandemic flu preppers fear the most.
This year’s flu strain, H3N2, has killed more than 20 people so far, and while it is nasty, it’s not the type of killer that concern preppers the most, like the massively deadly H1N1 virus of 1917-18, the so-called “Spanish Flu” that killed 50-100 million people around the world, or about one-in-ten that contracted it.
The difference is that the “killer” flu viruses create something called “cytokine storm” and there is no evidence that this is happening in H3N2, according to a literature scan done today by Spice, our resident pathophysiologist. The H3N2 strain is killing the young, old, and those with comprimised immune systems. The Spanish Flu did just the opposite; it killed some of the strongest and most fit people first.
Here’s why, according to Spice, who wrote in this article (clicky) about it:
“Some influenzas have a particularly nasty effect. Some of them provoke a ridiculously, lethally strong immune response; so strong that the immune response itself quickly kills the victim. This hyper-aggressive immune response is called a cytokine storm, and even with modern medical care cytokine storms are often fatal. Just as the immune system fills a sprained ankle with fluid to make it swell, the immune system during a cytokine storm fills the lungs with fluid, suffocating the sufferer. Some of the flus that cause cytokine storms have fatality rates over 90%; and the young, previously healthy adults are those most likely to die. The Great Flu (sometimes called the Spanish Flu) of 1918 was such a strain.”
Despite what some prepper media is reporting, there is no evidence that H3N2 is mutating into a cytokine storm producing strain. Yes, it’s bad, and you don’t want to get it, but it’s not “the big one”. The fact that this year’s strain is most dangerous to those with poor immune systems indicates that most of the deaths are probably from secondary bacterial infections rather than cytokine storms. That’s how all the seasonal flus kill; but it’s not how the high-fatality-rate strains such as the Spanish Flu kill.
Having said that, we need to do everything we can to avoid catching it because NOBODY wants to get this thing. It is more dangerous than the average seasonal flu, and the vaccine is less likely to protect against it.
We have had multiple articles on the Flu this year, and here are quick links to them.
PrepperMed 101: Three Things to Know About This “Bad Flu Vaccine Year”
PrepperMed 101: How to Not Be a Casualty in the Next Great Flu Epidemic
Wash those hands in hot soapy water and keep well, good people!
“H3N2 virus ‘tough’…
You’re one of the few prepper sites that get correct information out on flu –
seasonal vs epidemic vs pandemic. For those readers who are interested in
more good information I can recommend CIDRAP (Center for Disease Research and Policy) (cidrap.mnu.edu). Up to date stuff and very readable.
You’ll know when certain strains are being problematic and you’ll get up to
date stuff also from the CDC and WHO since they are current with everything
happening in the world.
Thanks, Ladywest — I hadn’t found that site.
Great article…there has been evidence of cytokine surges though…the greatly increased active production of immune cells in the lungs….I have seen this in my patients…copius amounts of immune cells along with secondary bacterial infections which seem to follow these surges certainly have caused death from lack of oxygen exchange and also have seen quite a bit of flu related sepsis this year…..pretty scary really….we need to protect ourselves and families regardless of what some others might say or think…it’s alright to wear a N95 or N99 mask to public places and even some gloves…should be anyway if you are immune compromised or not getting enough sleep, sunlight, or adequate nutrition, etc..
Yes, Kathleen, I saw some reports of cytokine surges after I wrote this. It seems to be only a small minority of cases, so I didn’t update the article. Worst flu in a decade, but still nothing like the Great Flu epidemics, it seems to me.
Thanks for writing! It’s a valuable thing to hear from the people seeing what’s going on on the front end, unfiltered by newspeople.