January 12, 2000. The real Y2K bug this winter is the Sydney strain of the flu which has hit millions of people and burdened hospitals all over Europe and North America. The Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918 is the ultimate flu baseline. New York Times Science reporter Gina Kolata has written an account of the 1918 flu epidemic and profiled a group of flu hunters who have traced the last sources of the virus to tissue samples from a woman buried under the permafrost in Alaska and two soldiers who died in World War I Army camps. They're determined to solve the puzzle of the Spanish flu in part because they say it could strike again.
Flu spreads across Europe .
Early Flu Outbreak Has Hospitals Overflowing . A series in 9 parts. The shows were aired originally from June 14th to August 8th. CBS HealthWatch . Atlantic Monthly Health Care Section .