The Hong Kong Flu, the Long-Forgotten Pandemic (1968–1970)

And his particular similarities with the coronavirus

A room full of patients during the Asian flu pandemic in 1957. (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Between 1968 and 1970, a new influenza virus gripped the world. The Hong Kong flu spread like wildfire around the world and was initially highly underestimated. The flu had a relatively low mortality rate, yet one to four million people died from this virus worldwide. What happened during this pandemic?

The origin of the Hong Kong flu virus goes back to 1957. That was the year of the Asian flu outbreak, a bird flu virus believed to have been spread by pigs that killed at least one million people worldwide for over a year. Pregnant women and elderly people with heart and lung diseases were at the greatest risk of death. In the years following this pandemic, the Asian flu continued as common and less dangerous winter flu, until in 1968 a hybrid variant of this flu virus and the bird flu was created: Hong Kong flu.

The beginning of the pandemic

The first case of the new flu virus was detected in Hong Kong on 13 July 1968, after health authorities in Hong Kong had already noticed earlier that month that more and more people were suffering from unexplained flu symptoms. Common complaints were fever, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, runny nose, and coughing, lasting…