The Influenza Pandemic of 1918

Historical records dating back to the 1700's show that every 10-40 years, the world suffers a major influenza pandemic as a result of natural genetic mutations in the flu virus. The deadliest, and most notorious was the epidemic of 1918, known as the Spanish Flu. When summer started in 1919, America alone had lost almost 675,000 people. Worldwide, it is estimated that over 50 million people died.

The genetic origins of the Spanish flu are in China, but the first wave of the epidemic began in the United States. The nickname Spanish flu came about when Spain became the only country to accurately report in newspapers the widespread devastation it was experiencing. Other countries, including the US, were engaged in media censorship because World War I was in full swing.

Despite it's nickname, the first reported case of the epidemic was a soldier at Fort Riley Kansas who reported to a military hospital with a sore throat, fever and the chills on the morning of March 11, 1918. By the end of the day, several other soldiers reported feeling ill too. Soon, people across the US began reporting similar symptoms.

At first, the illness rates were high, but not too abnormal. Government officials and health professionals didn't realize that this was only the beginning.

The flu spread quickly and reached all corners of the world. In less than a year, it affected 500 million people, just under a third of the world's then population. It came in three distinct waves of sickness beginning in spring 1918.

World War I was a huge contributor to the flu's wildfire like spread. Thousands of soldiers and sailors were kept in cramped quarters and ships, easily passing the communicable virus between themselves. The flu radiated from Central Europe to as far away as India and China. Ships carrying military personnel and equipment carried the virus to remote islands like the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

The most devastating effect of the Spanish flu pandemic was the human toll. When you hear a statistic like 50 million people lost worldwide, it's hard to even comprehend. To put it into perspective, more people died in one year than in all four years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague. The United States alone lost 675,000 people- more than we lost in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. The effect of this was so severe that the average American's lifespan was decreased by ten years.

Now that you've read the statistics, perhaps you're wondering why this flu was so much more severe than the the milder ones we are immunized against every year. Limited medical knowledge may have contributed to the high level of fatalities during this pandemic. The sickness was blamed on many things, including trench warfare, coal dust, fleas and even dirty dishwater. Recommendations put out by medical professionals for avoiding the flu included consuming large amounts of onions, stuffing salt up your nose and avoiding tight clothes and shoes.

Eventually, the American Public Health Administration made known that the Spanish flu was communicable, and advised banning shared eating utensils, washing hands often and engaging in general good hygiene practices. Cities and businesses across the nation jumped on this information. Chicago police began arresting people who sneezed or coughed in public, Boston closed public schools and Nashville banned all public gatherings, including religious services. Railroads required a signed certificate of health before passengers were allowed to board, and stores refrained from holding sales.

Even with all these precautions, the flu still ravaged America and the world. With vague origins, it spread like wildfire, at an enormous cost to human life.

At almost a hundred years ago, the Spanish flu may seem inconsequential in our busy lives. But consider this: even with vaccines and other advances, scientists believe that if a flu virus with a similar genetic make up would appear today, the death toll could reach well over 100 million people. Don't forget to wash your hands!

Resources:
Taugenberger, Jeffrey, "1918 Influenza: The Mother of All Pandemics." Dec. 2005. Center for Disease Control. March 2007.
Billings, Molly, "The Influenza Pandemic of 1918." Feb. 2005. April 2007. < http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/ >
"More about the film: Influenza of 1918." April 2007.
Fujimara, Sara, "Purple Death The Great Flu of 1918." Perspectives in Health Magazine. Volume 8, Number 3, 2003. Pan American Health Organization. April 2007.< http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/Number18_article5.htm >