Why is it important for health scientists to study the spanish flu of 1918?

"Studying the Spanish flu virus’s interaction with monkeys may help health officials prepare for a possible pandemic caused by H5N1"
from www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/health/18flu.html

Its important to study the Spanish Flu because they need to learn why/how it happened and to prevent similar diseases in the future

1.)dr. natterson- horowitz came to realize that their isn't much of a difference between animals and humans. just like humans, animals can suffer from illnesses and diseases like breast cancer, self injury, anxiety, and many more. she also discovered how they even treated and performed surgical procedures on animals just as if the animal it self were human. the los angeles zoo called dr. natterson- horowitz because they knew that she was a doctor and that  she would be able to recognize what was wrong with the gorilla. they knew that humans and gorillas were similar, so instead of calling another veterinarian, they called a doctor.