Spanish Flu: A Glimpse into a Historical Pandemic

The first global war was deadly enough; approximately 20 million perished. The number, however, was completely dwarfed by the onset of the Spanish flu, which ominously enough, coincided with the impending end of World War I.

Characteristics of The Spanish Flu

The Spanish flu was a category 5 influenza pandemic caused by an unusually severe and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1.

An extremely deadly and contagious disease, the Spanish flu was extremely deadly too: The death toll, according to some estimates, was 50 million to 100 million people worldwide in a mere space of 18 months, even dwarfing that of the deadly conflict of War World.

First Outbreaks

The disease was first observed at Fort Riley, Kansas, U.S.. The Allies of World War I came to call it the Spanish Flu, primarily because the pandemic received greater press attention in Spain than in the rest of the world, as Spain was not involved in the war and had not imposed wartime censorship.

The first outbreaks may have occurred in the battle trenches of Europe: Conditions in trenches were often poor. There was no proper sanitation, and the sick often were forced to mingle with the healthy. These treacherous conditions, plus the stress of war, may have lowered the immune systems of the soldiers, and created ideal conditions for the widespread of the virus.

The American troops, who joined in the War at the later stages, were infected as well, bringing the disease back home when the war was over.

Death Tolls

Unlike other pandemics, the Spanish flu was neither discriminate nor choosy in picking its victims: Many young adults and healthy individuals were suddenly struck by the virus, and weakened progressively over an incredibly short period of time. Most fatalities from other forms of flu viruses are usually young infants or the elderly.

The fatality rate inflicted on a global scale had an immediate impact: Life expectancies dropped by an incredible ten years.

An estimated 17 million died in India, about 5% of India's population at the time. In the Indian Army, almost 22% of troops who caught the disease died of it.

In the U.S., about 28% of the population suffered, and 500,000 to 675,000 died. In Britain 200,000 died; in France more than 400,000. Entire villages perished in Alaska and southern Africa. In Australia an estimated 10,000 people died and in the Fiji Islands, 14% of the population died during only two weeks, and in Western Samoa 22%.

On a global scale, an estimated 20% of the population was afflicted, of which 2.5%-5% died from the virus.