Recent outbreaks have put avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu disease, at the center stage of the global health community. From relative anonymity, the disease acquired notoriety for itself when it claimed more than fifty human lives. The deaths from bird flu disease are relatively small when compared to the number of deaths from other diseases. However, the possibility of a global pandemic is serious enough that deaths caused by bird flu warrant a closer examination and alarm.
Another pandemic waiting to happen
Officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the world is ripe for another influenza pandemic. An influenza pandemic occurs roughly every 30-40 years. The last influenza pandemic, which originated in Hong Kong in 1969, claimed 34,000 lives in the United States and even more in the Asian region. Although the viral subtype of the disease is still in circulation, the human body has already developed antibodies for it.
Historical precedence is not enough of a basis towards setting off global alarm bells. However, the patterns seen in the outbreaks point to the possibility of another influenza pandemic. There are an increasing number of cases wherein humans have been infected with the bird flu virus and the death toll from the disease is now more than 50.
One of the first signs of an impending pandemic is the crossing over of the disease from birds to humans. WHO is closely keeping its eye on the occurrence of a first case of human to human transmission of the bird flu virus. The human to human transmission of the disease will pose greater risks of infection to humans, which would effectively signal the start of a pandemic. To date, there are no recorded cases of bird flu being transmitted from an infected human to another.
To date, all human cases of bird flu were contracted by victims after having direct contact with infected animals and their secretions. However, the global health community is very much concerned because the bird flu virus mutates easily and is constantly evolving, and the first human to human transmission of the virus may just be around the corner.
Three global influenza pandemics: a brief history
Three major influenza pandemics have occurred: in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The first pandemic, the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919, had the highest mortality among the three pandemics. In less than a year, 20 to 40 million people died from the Spanish Flu, with over 50,000 lives claimed in the United States alone. Simultaneous outbreaks of the Spanish Flu were first detected in Europe and some parts of the United States. The infection spread to more areas through ships that traveled between the United States and Europe. Asia and Africa were eventually affected. The first wave of the pandemic was highly contagious although it was not deadly. The second wave, however, was deadly and occurred shortly in France, Sierra Leona and United States. It registered a ten-fold increase in mortality.
In 1957, a second pandemic occurred. Called the Asian Flu because it was first detected in Hong Kong and Singapore, it was much milder than the Spanish Flu, claiming between one and four million lives. When the second pandemic hit, the people were more prepared and knew what to expect. This was due largely to the world's experience with the first pandemic. The Asian Flu virus was soon isolated in Japanese and Singaporean laboratories. The findings helped the World Health Organization alert the world about the onset of a pandemic and vaccines were immediately produced and distributed.
The most recent influenza pandemic happened in 1968 and lasted for a year. Dubbed as the Hong Kong Flu, it was first detected in China and later spread to Hong Kong where it escalated at an alarming rate. Like the Asian Flu, the Hong Kong Flu claimed between one and four million lives. It reached Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, particularly California.
From A Historical Perspective
Some of the early Christian designers and architects had developed a centralized plan that was based purely on a circular shape, or the polygon or square. The most important aspect of the centralized plan was the centre of the entire structure that was dominated by a dome at the top. This plan worked well because the congregation attending churches were standing and not seated. Hence pews were not used in the medieval times.
The pews were a dominant feature in various churches in the period between 1600 and 1800. During this time, social rank was considered as a major influence in the seating arrangements and those with higher social status were able to sit in the church pews closest to the pulpit. All churches had a separate section of pews that were meant for seating general public while others were set aside for special groups. The different types of seating arrangements in a church included pews for the poor, adolescents, deaf/hard of hearing, widows and black people. Church pews for black people were known as Negro Pews. Some of the churches had numbered Negro pews and even labeled them as "Negro."
Another seating arrangement in churches in the bygone era included slave owners paying to purchase pew space for their servants or slaves. In the period between 1840 and 1930, the church shifted from having private seating arrangements to free pews and open seating arrangements. This led to the coining of the term: "free church".
The early years of the 19th century brought in several reforms and led to the collapse of the old parish system. The old parish system was set during the 12th century and meanwhile the surrounding landscape in England was changing at an enormously rapid rate. Cities were growing up fast like Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and London. In spite of that there was no guarantee that you may find pews even in the neighborhood church. Seating accommodation was still haphazard and disorganized. Most of the churches rented out their pews to individual families and in some of the churches, there were pews in the name of a house. As a result, there was great pressure in the church as no one else could sit on the pews except the ones who have rented it. Churches resorted to making free seating arrangements along the galleries to cope up with the problem but this was insufficient especially in the light of increasing population.
Since 1930, there have been major changes in the seating arrangements in churches across the world and also in the US where an increasing democratic ideology was removing the demarcation that separated the white from the black people. In the post Civil War era, most of the churches added new fittings and furniture that included box pews and pulpits.
The post war era also saw reformation that affected the design of the church. The pulpit became a prominent feature, and was placed behind the Communion Table. The communion table replaced the altar. If we look over the different periods when the church architecture and pews went through changes, we will find that the changes were driven by theological considerations. Today, theological considerations have no place within the modern architecture of churches all over the world.
Some of the churches have even experimented with the rearrangement of the church pews and there was a time when parishioners sat across each other in a face to face seating arrangement. The church pews were introduced in the Middle Age and the seating arrangements were meant only for those who needed to sit like the elderly or infirms. As time passed, Bishops got their chairs and this was followed by church pews for the ministers and the congregation. In the modern world, all churches have pews to accommodate most of people attending mass.
The pew seating arrangement was seen as a Northern European invention and there was a time when the wealthy people bought their pews. In some of the churches, there were pews based on the gender. But those were the medieval ages and things have changed radically in the 20th century. Today there is no difference between white or black, no gender separation or wealthy and poor: anyone and everyone can sit on the church pews and reach out to God.
Both Niall Cinneide & Graciella Chairman are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Niall Cinneide has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mothers Day, How to Train a Puppy and Bird Flu. Niall Cinneide publishes a news site, with reports and articles, about bird flu at. Niall Cinneide's top article generates over 60500 views. Bookmark Niall Cinneide to your Favourites.
Graciella Chairman has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Bird Flu and Flowers Delivery. Graciella Chairman is a Church chairs designer based in Muenster Texas dedicated to providing churches, sanctuaries and temples with quality. Graciella Chairman's top article generates over 1600 views. Bookmark Graciella Chairman to your Favourites.
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