1

Sanjana Chava

Pandemics in History Paper

The 2009 H1N1 global pandemic began in the spring of 2009 and was proclaimed at the

end by the World Health Organization in August 2010 (CDC 2019). H1N1 is a particular strain

of the influenza virus and is still present as one of the causes of the seasonal flu and is a zoonotic

virus meaning that it was transmitted from animals to humans (Miller 2020). H1N1 is similar to

the COVID-19 virus in that they both spread through droplets from an infected individual. This

allowed H1N1 to spread very quickly from person to person leading to the pandemic. However,

the population that was more greatly impacted by the virus is different from the COVID-19

virus. While people over the age of 60 were more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, individuals

that were younger than 65 years faced more severe symptoms from the H1N1 virus (CDC 2019).

This is due to the fact that those that are older usually have the antibodies needed to fight the

H1N1 virus since they likely had been exposed to an older H1N1 virus (CDC 2019). According

to the CDC, 151,700 to 575,400 people died globally during the first year of the virus, with more

than 80 percent of deaths occurring in the population of people that are younger than 65 years

(CDC 2019). This is much smaller than the current death count of around 3.5 million for the

COVID-19 virus (John Hopkins 2021). The 2009 H1N1 reached an end with the development

and distribution of a vaccine. In fact, the current flu vaccine is designed to also protect

individuals from the H1N1 virus in order to stop another pandemic caused by the virus (Miller

2020). Currently, with the ongoing distribution of the COVID-19 virus, it is also expected that

the pandemic is reaching an end as public health protocols are becoming less stricter.
 2

Considering that the H1N1 pandemic occurred only twelve years ago, there are many similarities

in the impact of technology and social media on the population.

In terms of biological causes, the H1N1 swine flu and the coronavirus are similar in the

regard that they were viruses that were likely transmitted from animals to humans and are also

spread by droplets of an infected individual (Miller 2020). The coronavirus spread much more

quickly compared to H1N1 since the spread of H1N1 was restricted by using current anti-viral

drugs available at the time which were found to be effective as well as a portion of the

population with natural immunity due to previous exposure to the H1N1 virus (Miller 2020).

However, for the coronavirus, there are no current drugs that were proven to be effective against

the virus and the virus is more deadly than H1N1 since it has a higher infection and case-fatality

rate (Miller 2020). In terms of social causes, both the H1N1 pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic

began around the season of spring, however, the public health protocols were slightly different.

During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, since summer was approaching schools were not closed

(Jhaveri 2020). This lack of social distancing led to an increase in cases and resulted in the

closing of some in-person schooling in the fall (Jhaveri 2020). Unfortunately, the closing of some

schools in the fall did little to stop the transmission of the virus as the protocol was implemented

too late (Cauchemez 2011). This also follows the pattern of the COVID-19 spike that occurred in

the summer of 2020 as businesses were trying to reopen and people had prearranged vacation

plans (Maragkis 2020). The social norm of gathering, especially in the summer, was hard to

restrict using social distancing causing the spread of the viruses. Also, social media played a

large role in both pandemics. With the spread of misinformation online, people during both

pandemics may have been reluctant to follow public health protocols and take the pandemic

seriously (Magri 2020). Considering that the H1N1 pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic are only
 3

10 years apart, there was not a large difference when it came to social factors such as the state of

medical knowledge. The H1N1 pandemic faced issues when it came to delivering and providing

vaccines to keep people safe (Fineberg 2014). This same issue was seen during the beginning of

the COVID-19 pandemic as there was a shortage of personal protection equipment for healthcare

workers specifically.

Besides the impact on the mortality of the population, there have been various other

impacts of both pandemics. For the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been large social impacts

and new norms have been established especially when it comes to adhering to public health

policies and interaction through technology. Social distancing and wearing masks have become

social norms. Technology plays a large role in people’s lives as it is mostly the only means to

work, learn and communicate today. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a large impact on the

mental health of the population as social distancing led to isolation. When it comes to the impact

on relationships with other countries, considering that the virus originated from China, there

have been some tense relationships between other countries and China. This has also led to

anti-Asian racism which can be seen in current events occurring in the United States. The

COIVD-19 pandemic has also affected the people’s perspective and opinion of the government,

especially in the United States. Many inconsistencies in the healthcare system were revealed, as

the virus disproportionately affects those who have a lower socioeconomic status or live in a

more rural place. The government’s actions and delayed reaction to the pandemic have also led

to a decrease in trust.

Much like the COVID-19 pandemic, maks and social distancing were recommended by

public health experts for the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (Cowling 2010). With some schools being

closed in the United States there was a large social impact on some communities as people had to
 4

reform their lifestyles (Qiu 2017). The amount of social distancing occurring during that time

was on a smaller scale than what is occurring during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Since

there was less social distancing, much of the mental health impacts of the pandemic were on

healthcare workers who felt more anxious and exhausted as they were working with H1N1

patients (Matsuishi 2012). The H1N1 pandemic also led to some countries having tense

relationships with Mexico as the origin of the virus was traced back to the country (Tan 2020).

The H1N1 pandemic also led to many people being frustrated with the Obama administration

and their delayed reaction to the pandemic.

Currently, with public health protocols and new social norms being established the spread

of COVID-19 has been slowed. However, during the beginning of the pandemic, the reluctance

towards wearing masks and social distancing led to a few spikes in cases. Considering that the

COVID-19 is a new virus and the public health experts did not have much background

information, differing and opposing protocols led to mistrust in these experts. With a quick

release of the vaccine and multiple statements made by politicians, some people have become

distrustful of the current scientific research and have advocated against it. However, there have

been multiple means of informing the public about the importance of vaccinations and it has led

to an increase in the number of those who are vaccinated. The H1N1 pandemic had different

conditions in that many researchers had a solid understanding of the influenza virus from a

previous H1N1 pandemic in 1918. Since the H1N1 virus was not as deadly as the COVID-19

virus it was not handled as seriously with fewer social distancing and mask protocols. This

allowed the H1N1 virus to spread and was later hindered with the release of vaccines. In both

pandemics, social media played a large role in the spread of the virus as misinformation was

running rampant. In fact, a study in Hong Kong during the H1N1 pandemic revealed that 59.1%
 5

of the participants had a misconception about how the virus was transmitted (Lau 2010.) With

such a large scale of people having misconceptions, may allow for poor health decisions to be

made.

The H1N1 pandemic lasted a little over a year and ended around a few months after the

vaccine was distributed. The H1N1 virus has not disappeared yet and is still affecting many

during the flu season currently. However, around the time the H1N1 pandemic ended the virus

was added into the season flu vaccine allowing for many to be vaccinated against it. In fact,

schools opened up months before the vaccine was announced. This is very different compared to

the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have now been closed for over a year and months after the

vaccine has been distributed. Since H1N1 is a variant of the flu it can be added into the seasonal

flu vaccine allowing for more people to be vaccinated, however, this is not the case for

COVID-19. The H1N1 pandemic allowed for countries to reevaluate their plans for responding

to public health emergencies (Wilson 2010). The H1N1 pandemic also taught the public about

the importance of developing and enforcing public health protocols. Currently, masks and social

distancing have prevented many infections and deaths (Qiu 2020). It has also shown the large

part social media plays and how social media can also be used in a positive manner to combat

misinformation. The H1N1 pandemic taught us the importance of preparation and making sure

there are enough vaccines and personal protection equipment for everyone. Using these lessons

we can help end the current pandemic by using our roles in social media to share important and

truthful information. We can also advocate for those who are being scapegoated due to the

pandemic and try to communicate with those who may feel isolated.
 6

References:

Cauchemez, S., A. Bhattarai, T. L. Marchbanks, R. P. Fagan, S. Ostroff, N. M. Ferguson, D.

Swerdlow, S. V. Sodha, M. E. Moll, F. J. Angulo, R. Palekar, W. R. Archer, and L. Finelli.
2011. “Role of Social Networks in Shaping Disease Transmission during a Community
Outbreak of 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Influenza.” Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 108(7):2825–30. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1008895108.

CDC. 2019. “2009 H1N1 Pandemic (H1N1pdm09 Virus).” Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Retrieved
(https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/2009-h1n1-pandemic.html).

Cowling, B. J., Y. Zhou, D. K. M. Ip, G. M. Leung, and A. E. Aiello. 2010. “Face Masks to
Prevent Transmission of Influenza Virus: A Systematic Review.” Epidemiology and
Infection 138(4):449–56. doi: 10.1017/S0950268809991658.

Fineberg, Harvey V. 2014. “Pandemic Preparedness and Response — Lessons from the H1N1
Influenza of 2009.” New England Journal of Medicine 370(14):1335–42. doi:
10.1056/nejmra1208802.

Jhaveri, Ravi. 2020. “Echoes of 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza with the COVID Pandemic.”
Clinical Therapeutics. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2020.04.003.

Lau, Joseph T. F., Nelson C. Y. Yeung, K. C. Choi, Mabel Y. M. Cheng, H. Y. Tsui, and Sian
Griffiths. 2010. “Factors in Association with Acceptability of A/H1N1 Vaccination
during the Influenza A/H1N1 Pandemic Phase in the Hong Kong General Population.”
Vaccine 28(29):4632–37. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.04.076.

Magri, Giulia. 2020. “Swine Flu Had Caused Panic, but Social Media Now Causing a Panic
Pandemic – Mario Galea - the Malta Independent.” Www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved
May 27, 2021
(https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2020-03-15/local-news/Swine-flu-had-caused-
panic-but-social-media-now-causing-a-panic-pandemic-Mario-Galea-6736220853).
 7

Maragakis, Lisa. 2020. “First and Second Waves of Coronavirus.” Www.hopkinsmedicine.org.

Retrieved
(https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/first-and-s
econd-waves-of-coronavirus).

Matsuishi, Kunitaka, Ayako Kawazoe, Hissei Imai, Atsushi Ito, Kentaro Mouri, Noboru
Kitamura, Keiko Miyake, Koichi Mino, Masanori Isobe, Shizuo Takamiya, Hidefumi
Hitokoto, and Tatsuo Mita. 2012. “Psychological Impact of the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009
on General Hospital Workers in Kobe.” Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
66(4):353–60. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2012.02336.x.

Miller, Korin. 2020. “The CDC Says 12,469 People Died during the Swine Flu Pandemic.
COVID-19 Has Killed 17 Times More People in 8 Months.” Health.com. Retrieved
(https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/swine-flu-vs-covid-19).

Qiu, W., S. Rutherford, A. Mao, and C. Chu. 2017. “The Pandemic and Its Impacts.” Health,
Culture and Society 9:1–11. doi: 10.5195/hcs.2017.221.

Qiu, Yun, Xi Chen, and Wei Shi. 2020. “Impacts of Social and Economic Factors on the
Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China.” Journal of
Population Economics. doi: 10.1007/s00148-020-00778-2.

Shadmi, Efrat, Yingyao Chen, Inês Dourado, Inbal Faran-Perach, John Furler, Peter Hangoma,
Piya Hanvoravongchai, Claudia Obando, Varduhi Petrosyan, Krishna D. Rao, Ana
Lorena Ruano, Leiyu Shi, Luis Eugenio de Souza, Sivan Spitzer-Shohat, Elizabeth
Sturgiss, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, Manuela Villar Uribe, and Sara Willems. 2020.
“Health Equity and COVID-19: Global Perspectives.” International Journal for Equity in
Health 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12939-020-01218-z.

Tan, Kenneth. 2020. “Mexico’s Former Ambassador Recalls China’s Treatment of Mexicans in
H1N1 Outbreak of 2009.” Shanghaiist. Retrieved May 27, 2021
(https://shanghai.ist/2020/01/29/jorge-guajardo-mexico-h1n1/).
 8

Wilson, K., J. S. Brownstein, and D. P. Fidler. 2010. “Strengthening the International Health
Regulations: Lessons from the H1N1 Pandemic.” Health Policy and Planning
25(6):505–9. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czq026.
 9

Notes:
10
11
12