High levels of scurvy is everywhere. With this lifestyle of low quality food, pollution, stress, etc etc etc, your body uses up the little c thats put in. C has a direct positive effect on the lungs and heart. So, " you" get the flu, or whatever, and you're already deficient; you have no knowledge or means to increase your uptake, you go to bed, and the "flu" does its thing, maybe you'll pull through, maybe not. BTW, info about c and influenza is in the NIH archives. They've known for decades. Most of the dead could have been given ivs of c, and would have survived.