Is the mysterious 'Russian flu' really caused by a corona virus?

In 1889, a mysterious respiratory illness emerged in Russia and then spread across the globe, causing at least three waves of infections over several years. Now, some scientists suspect that the disease, known as "Russian flu", may actually be caused by a virus similar to SARS -CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, The The New York Times reported.

The influenza pandemic of 1889–1890, commonly known as "Asian flu" or "Russian flu", was a worldwide pandemic of respiratory viruses. It was the last major pandemic of the 19th century, and one of the deadliest in history.

The Russian flu, also known as the Asian flu of 1889-1890 was once the deadliest pandemic in human history.

There are some easy similarities to draw between the two pandemics. For example, during the flu pandemic in Russia, schools and workplaces were closed due to the large number of infected people. Infected people often lose their sense of taste and smell, and some persistent symptoms persist for months.

In general, flu epidemics in Russia seem to kill more elderly people than children, unlike influenza viruses, which tend to be similarly fatal for both age groups, according to available historical documents, including records government health, press and magazine articles.

Peter Palese, an influenza researcher and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told The New York Times. Some experts echo this view, but others say they suspect that while there may be hard evidence to support the idea, they have yet to find any.

Dr Jeffery Taubenberger, head of the division of viral pathogenesis and evolution at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and John Oxford, professor emeritus of virology at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Hunt for such evidence. They searched lung tissue samples preserved before the 1918 flu pandemic, looking for remnants of the flu virus and coronavirus. Among these tissues, they hope to detect the elusive Russian flu virus.

Dr. Scott Podolsky, professor of social medicine and global health at Harvard Medical School, and Dominic W. Hall, curator of the Warren Anatomy Museum at Harvard, USA are also searching for lung tissues preserved in the same around this time, the New York Times reported.

If genetic material from the Russian flu virus appeared in the lungs, it could offer hints as to how the pandemic ended, as the news at the time provided few details.

And if the pandemic of the late 19th century was caused by a coronavirus, some scientists think the virus could still circulate as one of four coronaviruses that cause the common cold, not the common cold. is a serious illness.