New Study Re-examines Bacterial Vaccine Studies Conducted During 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Secondary infections with bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, were a major cause of death during the 1918 flu pandemic and may be important in modern pandemics as well, according to a new article in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The new analysis suggests that the use of bacterial vaccines containing S. pneumoniae could reduce pneumonia rates and deaths in modern influenza pandemics. During the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the authors write, autopsy results implicated bacterial infections in 29 to 55 percent of deaths. . read more.