The History of Influenza Virus Discovery: A Timeline

Influenza, commonly referred to as "the flu," has been around for thousands of years, afflicting its victims with fever, body aches, cough, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting and extreme tiredness.

History

• The earliest record of a flu-like illness comes from Roman historian Titus Livius, who describes an epidemic dating back to 41 B.C., according to the International Actuarial Association.

Coining a Term

• According to Medical Ecology, an unnamed Italian in the mid-1700s coined the term "influenza," to describe "a disease resulting from miasma (bad air)."

Discovery

• Several experiments with pigs in the early part of the 20th century eventually led to the discovery that a virus causes influenza, according to Medical Ecology.

First Human Influenza

• Wilson Smith, Christopher Andrews and Patrick Laidrow isolated and identified the first case of human influenza in 1933 by finding a suitable host for propagation of the virus, reports Medical Ecology.

Seasonal Flu

• According to Flu.gov, the seasonal flu affects more than 200,000 people in the United States per year---about 36,000 die from flu-related causes.