The mystery illness ‘Russian flu’ Dubbed the “Russian flu", this mystery illness may have been caused by a virus similar to SARS-COV-2, the scientists have claimed, according to a New York Times report.
The May 1889 disease swept globally, overwhelming hospitals and killing the old with special ferocity. Schools and colleges were forced to close and those infected reported loss of taste and smell - much like the ongoing Covud-19 pandemic.
Drawing other parallels with more than a century old wave of infection, the scientists told NYT that some of the patients who recovered reported a lingering exhaustion and the flu finally ended after three waves of infection.
This behaviour is leading to speculation among the scientific community that the 'Russian flu' was indeed caused by the Covid-19. “I would say, maybe," said Dr Tom Ewing of Virginia Tech, a historian who has studied the Russian flu.