It sounds innocuous compared to war, plague and famine, but flu is actually one of the world's biggest killers. Since the first documented pandemic of an influenza-like disease in 1580, 31 worldwide influenza outbreaks have been recorded, culminating in the pandemic of 1918 that killed an estimated 50 million.This fascinating book explores the havoc caused by the world's most deadly virus - and the destruction left behind in its wake. From its initial identification by the Greek physician Hippocrates in the 4th century BC to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the author explores the social, medical and scientific ramifications of the major outbreaks that have occurred over the centuries - and the potential ramifications should such a pandemic occur in the modern world.The likelihood and consequences of a pandemic occurring in the event of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian flu jumping species is also explored, along with recent scientific attempts to alter the structure of the virus in order to destroy it or ameliorate its virulence.