Perspectives on Pandemics (1918-2020): What Does History Teach Us? Patricia L Blanton, DDS, MS, PhD, FACD Dr. Blanton is a past President of the American College of Dentists and a Consultant to the American College of Dentists Foundation.
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n 2019, much of the attention of the American College of Dentists was focused on the upcoming celebration of its centennial anniversary. However, two months into 2020, that attention was justifiably diverted to another historic event – one with a much broader impact and dire consequences. Yes, as we prepared to execute the festivities previously planned for the centennial celebration of the ACD, the world was awakening to the emerging threat of a viral pandemic and we entered a period of suspended animation with regard to all planned activities. Shortly thereafter, there was a moratorium placed on all congregate settings to “bend the curve” epidemiologically speaking.
Journal of the American College of Dentists
Interestingly, in 1920, the year of the founding of the college, the world was living through a similar catastrophe. In 1918, the pandemic flu virus (H1N1) with the unusual characteristic of a high death rate among healthy adults, 15 – 34 years of age, struck with unprecedented vengeance. This so called “Spanish flu pandemic” proved to be a major disaster in world history; World War I claimed 16 million lives and the 1918 flu claimed 50 million lives affecting over 25% of the US population and over 20% of the world population.1 A comparable death rate had not been observed prior to this period and has not been observed since, that is until now. The coronavirus (COVID-19) has emerged after 100 years as a new and dangerous infectious disease. What was true in 1918 is apparent today- when a novel and virulent pathogen is unleashed on an unprotected citizenry the result is predictably catastrophic. Today, in the United States alone, 28 million Americans have contracted the disease and more than 500,000 have perished. Worldwide trends are also disconcerting and new variants of virus emerge with alarming regularity. It is said that the difference between a disaster and a catastrophe is the ability to adequately prepare for it. In 1918, a novel virion appeared for which there was no herd immunity, no vaccine and no reliable treatment, save supportive measures and in 2020 we found ourselves in a similar position with all of the attendant sequelae that
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