Spanish flu:
A likely misnomer, the Spanish flu is so named because Spain is where media reports of the outbreak first emerged. As one of the few countries to remain neutral in World War I, its press was not censored and therefore able to report on the outbreak without fear of affecting public morale.
Since nations under media blackout could only read about the illness from Spanish sources, it became known as "the Spanish Flu" in May 1918. Its actual origin is still debated with France, China, Britain and the US all nominated as possible sources.
Zika virus:
The virus was first identified in the Zika valley, in central Africa, in 1947 and is spread by infected mosquitoes in the Aedes genus.
Its greatest risk is associated with birth defects, when an expectant mother becomes infected with the virus.
Ebola:
One of the deadliest infections, Ebola virus disease (EVD) was discovered in 1976 when two consecutive outbreaks of fatal haemorrhagic fever occurred in different parts of central Africa.
The first occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) in a village near the Ebola river.
Hendra virus:
A rare emerging zoonosis (a disease that can be transmitted to humans from animals), Hendra virus (HeV) infection can cause severe and often fatal illness in both horses and humans.
HeV was identified during the first recorded outbreak of the disease in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994.
SARS:
Identified in 2003, the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus, or SARS-CoV, is thought to be an animal virus that originated from an animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in Guangdong province, southern China, in 2002.
Swine flu:
The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus was first detected in people in the US in April 2009.
This virus was originally referred to as "swine flu" because laboratory testing showed that its gene segments were similar to influenza viruses that were most recently identified in — and known to circulate among — pigs.
MERS:
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is an illness caused by a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) known as MERS-CoV.
Health officials first reported the disease in Saudi Arabia in September 2012. Later investigations identified the first known cases of MERS to have occurred in Jordan in April 2012.
Covid-19:
The first case of the 2019 novel coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the virus named SARS-CoV-2 and, as previously noted, is shorthand for 'coronavirus disease 2019'.
I fully expect that the next virus that'll pop up, will get a weird name, instead for being named after from where it originates.
If nothing else, it'll prove one thing....political correctness!
Not naming viruses after where they're first discovered is progressive....my hairy arse....well then, rename Spanish, Ebola, Zika, Hendra!
People are, have become weak!