In conversation with Richard Larson and Sanford Weiner, John Barry, author of The Great Influenza, discusses current understanding of the dynamics of a flu outbreak, and our general state of preparedness. Based on historical patterns, we can expect three to four pandemics per century, of varying severity. In the last century, the 1918 flu was unrivaled in its ferocity, says Barry. Estimates of deaths worldwide run from 50 to 100 million people. Since the world population then was only a third of today’s, should a similar flu evolve in the 21st century, humanity would stand to lose between 175 to 300 million people. Continue reading…
0 Responses to “MIT World: A Conversation with John M. Barry”