The 1918 Spanish Influenza Epidemic

One of the most virulent strains of influenza in history ravaged the world and decimated the populations around the world. Present during World War I, the 1918 strain of pandemic influenza found many opportunities to spread through the war. At the time, science wasn’t advanced enough to study the virus, much less find a cure; medical personnel were helpless when it came to fighting the disease, and so the flu went on to infect millions and kill at a rate 25 times higher than the standard.

The Spanish flu in World War I was a lot worse and had a way higher death rate than the common flu today. Therefore, they should not even be compared. It is so much different because during war everything was so dirty and everyone was always crammed in the trenches: “World War 1 trenches were dirty, smelly and riddled with disease. For soldiers life in the trenches meant living in fear” (WWI facts). This made it very easy to catch illnesses especially because the flu was so contagious. The symptoms of the Spanish flu were very similar to the symptoms of a common flu: “Normal flu symptoms of fever, nausea, aches and diarrhea” (NPR). Although they were similar is was still way more deadly to have it during World War I. Everyone already had such

This influenza occurred at the latter point of “World War 1” coming at a vulnerable time for the world. Many people have already died due to the war, and many resources and money has already been consumed. So when the pandemic hit, it hit with a charge that left a great wound in the economy and health of the people not just in the U.S. but the world. People responded by taking more precautions in health and safety, and took radical response in the exterminating of animal populations.

Influenza is very contagious and spreads rapidly from person to person. Influenza causes worldwide yearly epidemics. According to World Health organization Influenza affects 5-15% world’s population and resulting in 500,000 deaths yearly. Ottenberg stated that, in United States, an average of 200,000 were hospitalized and 36,000 died each year from influenza complications. Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death among US adults and is related to 1 in 20 death in persons older than 65 years. Disease control and prevention estimates indicate that infections like H1N1 which is one of the types of influenza, have resulted in an estimated 42 to 86 million cases and 8520 to 17620 deaths. As I mentioned earlier that infections like

The book The Great Influenza by John Barry takes us back to arguably one of the greatest medical disasters in human history, the book focuses on the influenza pandemic which took place in the year 1918. The world was at war in the First World War and with everyone preoccupied with happenings in Europe and winning the war, the influenza pandemic struck when the human race was least ready and most distracted by happenings all over the world. In total the influenza pandemic killed over a hundred million people on a global scale, clearly more than most of the deadliest diseases in modern times. John Barry leaves little to imagination in his book as he gives a vivid description of the influenza pandemic of 1918 and exactly how this pandemic affected the human race. The book clearly outlines the human activities that more or less handed the human race to the influenza on a silver platter. “There was a war on, a war we had to win” (Barry, p.337). An element of focus in the book is the political happenings back at the time not only in the United States of America but also all over the world and how politicians playing politics set the way for perhaps the greatest pandemic in human history to massacre millions of people. The book also takes an evaluator look at the available medical installations and technological proficiencies and how the influenza pandemic has affected medicine all over the world.

One of the few cures to the disease was a vaccine created by teams of doctors at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. In partnership with those at Mercy hospitals in Mason City the vaccines developed weakened the germs in the disease at the base. The only problem facing this vaccine is that it was not a preventable vaccine, but rather you had to catch the flu before being treated. This often caused many problems because at the time of infection it was nearly too late for survival. By the 1920’s the largest influenza epidemic in United States history had come to an end. Not real cure was ever found, and the cause of the diseases spreading still remains a mystery in

Influenza, an innocent little virus that annually comes and goes, has always been a part of people’s lives. Knowing this, one would not believe that it has caused not one, not two, but three pandemics and is on its way to causing a fourth! The Spanish flu of 1918, the Asian flu of 1957, and the Hong Kong

The first wave of the epidemic, however, was followed by a more fatal second and third wave in the fall and winter of 1918-1919. (Taubenberger) The second wave of the virus emerged in late August and was even more deadly. By the end of September, 50,000 people in Massachusetts had contracted the flu, and in New York, 851 people died in a single day. There were so many deaths in San Francisco and Chicago that the cities banned funerals. October 1918 became the deadliest month in US history, with 195,000 fatalities from the flu. By the end of the third wave, the average life expectancy in the United States dropped by 12

From 1918-1919, the influenza virus swept the world and had disastrous effects. Different factor contributed to the spread of the virus. Many religious groups believed the virus was an evil that had fallen on the land and that only God can save them. Others caught the disease due to the lack of sanitary prevention, such as there being no inspections in the trading ports. Also many people were ignorant and knowledgeable about the pandemic because of the lack of response from health/government officials. In all, the lack of authority was a huge contributing factor to the spread of the influenza virus.

Avian influenza is a disease that has been wreaking havoc on human populations since the 16th century. With the recent outbreak in 1997 of a new H5N1 avian flu subtype, the world has begun preparing for a pandemic by looking upon its past affects. In the 20th Century, the world witnessed three pandemics in the years of 1918, 1957, and 1968. In 1918 no vaccine, antibiotic, or clear recognition of the disease was known. Killing over 40 million in less than a year, the H1N1 strain ingrained a deep and lasting fear of the virus throughout the world. Though 1957 and 1968 brought on milder pandemics, they still killed an estimated 3 million people and presented a new

Study's show that it's highly unlikely that a influenza pandemic like the one in 1918 and 1919 is possible. The flu pandemic in 1918 and 1919,took more than 20 million people's lives in the world. According to the CDC, flu viruses are constantly changing and mutating which is why scientists can't develop a life long vaccine. According to experts they say that a flu pandemic would have a even greater impact on humanity than anything else currently happening in the world. Scientists also say that it's very rare that a flu pandemic will happen but, it's likely that their will be another one, and if there is it will be even bigger.Scientists are currently developing a vaccine just incase a pandemic were to happen. Doctors say if we were

“It killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. – John Barry

The influenza pandemic of 1918 was a tragic event in New Zealand history that killed many. The influenza also known as the spanish flu broke out after World War One ending in 1918. The spanish flu was a worldwide disease that is thought to have originated from america, the spanish flu has always been about but the second wave was spread by European soldiers and was much more deadly and vicious infecting the world everywhere. Although it did not originate in Spain it was called the spanish flu because of a spanish king, King Alfonso the XIII dying from it. The spanish flu came to New Zealand in 1918 after the war finished carried and spread by military soldiers. Some people believe it came abroad with the ship ‘Niagara’

At no time was a search for the cure for influenza more frantic than after the devastating effects of the pandemic of 1918. The pandemic killed somewhere between twenty and a hundred million people, making it twenty five times more deadly than the ordinary cough and sneeze flu. The symptoms of this flu

In this essay I am going to talk about the Spanish Flu. I will talk about where the Spanish Flu originated, how it spread, how many people were affected, and whether or not it will return. The Spanish Flu started in Europe and spread all around the world. The way it made it to the United States was by people traveling here that had the disease and then gave it to other people. Also there was a war going on at that same time and that could have been another factor of how it spread. But it may have spread other ways to.