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Apr 15, 2024 · Influenza pandemic of 1918–19, the most severe influenza outbreak of the 20th century and among the most devastating pandemics in human history. The outbreak was caused by influenza type A subtype H1N1 virus. Learn about the origins, spread, and impact of the influenza pandemic of 1918–19.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jan 20, 2004 · On March 18, Camps Forrest and Greenleaf in Georgia saw their first cases of influenza and by the end of April twenty-four of the thirty-six main Army camps suffered an influenza epidemic . Thirty of the fifty largest cities in the country also had an April spike in excess mortality from influenza and pneumonia [ 7 ].
- John M Barry
- 2004
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Sep 1, 2020 · In 1918, a novel strand of influenza killed more people than the 14th century’s Black Plague. At least 50 million people died worldwide because of that H1N1 influenza outbreak. The dead were ...
On September 1, it held 84. On September 7, a soldier sent to the hospital delirious and screaming when touched was diagnosed with meningitis. The next day a dozen more men from his company were ...
- It Struck in Three Waves Across The World
- Its Origins Are Unknown to This Day
- It Did Not Come from Spain
- There Were No Drugs Or Vaccines to Treat It
- It Was particularly Deadly For Young and Healthy People
- The Medical Profession Tried to Play Down Its Severity
- 25 Million People Died in The First 25 Weeks
- It Reached Almost Every Single Part of The World
- The Exact Death Toll Is Impossible to Know
- It Killed More People Than World War One Combined
The first wave of the 1918 pandemic took place in the spring of that year, and was generally mild. Those infected experienced typical flu symptoms – chills, fever, fatigue – and usually recovered after several days. The number of reported deaths was low. In the autumn of 1918, the second wave appeared – and with a vengeance. Victims died within hou...
The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, America and parts of Asia, before rapidly spreading across every part of the world within a matter of months. It remains unknown where the particular strain of influence – the first pandemic involving the H1N1 influenza virus – came from. There is some evidence to suggest that the virus came from a bird or...
Despite its colloquial name, the 1918 flu did not originate from Spain. The British Medical Journal referred to the virus as “Spanish flu” because Spain was hit hard by the disease. Even Spain’s king, Alfonso XIII, reportedly contracted the flu. In addition, Spain was not subject to the wartime news censorship rules that affected other European cou...
When the flu hit, doctors and scientists were unsure what caused it or how to treat it. At the time, there were no effective vaccines or antivirals to treat the deadly strain. People were advised to wear masks, avoid shaking hands, and to stay indoors. Schools, churches, theatres and businesses were shuttered, libraries put a halt on lending books ...
Most influenza outbreaks only claim as fatalities juveniles, the elderly, or people who are already weakened. Today, flu is especially dangerous for under 5-year-olds and those over 75. The 1918 influenza pandemic, however, affected completely healthy and strong adults between 20 and 40 years of age – including millions of World War One soldiers. S...
In the summer of 1918, the Royal College of Physicians claimed the flu was no more threatening than the “Russian flu” of 1189-94. The British Medical Journal accepted that overcrowding on transport and in the workplace was necessary for the war effort, and implied that the “inconvenience” of the flu should be quietly borne. Individual doctors also ...
As the second wave of the autumn hit, the flu epidemic spiralled out of control. In most cases, haemorrhages in the nose and lungs killed victims within three days. International ports – usually the first places in a country to be infected – reported serious problems. In Sierra Leone, 500 out of 600 dock workers fell too sick to work. Epidemics wer...
The 1918 epidemic was of a truly global scale. It infected 500 million people across the world, including those on remote Pacific Islands and in the Arctic. In Latin America, 10 out of every 1,000 people died; in Africa, it was 15 per 1,000. In Asia, the death toll reached as high as 35 in every 1,000. In Europe and America, troops travelling by bo...
The estimated death toll attributed to the 1918 flu epidemic is usually at 20 million to 50 million victims worldwide. Other estimates run as high as 100 million victims – around 3% of the world’s population. However it is impossible to know what the exact death toll was, due to the lack of accurate medical record-keeping in many infected places. T...
More American soldiers died from the 1918 flu than were killed in battle during the First World War. In fact, the flu claimed more lives than all of the World War One battles combined. The outbreak turned the previously strong, immune systems against them: 40% of the US navy were infected, while 36% of the army became ill. Featured image: Emergency...
Mar 4, 2022 · Historians say it’s unclear when the 1918 flu actually did end—and that’s partly because Americans were as tired of the flu as they are now after two years of COVID-19. Although cases ...
Apr 9, 2020 · Flu viruses mutate regularly, but most of the viruses do not survive long enough for the changes to take effect. In ordinary conditions, a virus that mutated into a particularly deadly strain would not have sufficient hosts to sustain itself—it would kill off its hosts too quickly to be able to reproduce and pass on its characteristics.
