The 1918 Flu Pandemic Abstract 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
influenza or flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, the deadliest in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide–about one-third of the planet’s population at the time–and estimates place the number of victims anywhere from 25 to 100 million. More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. Surprisingly, many flu victims
The Response to the Influenza of 1918 At the time, the Influenza of 1918 was called the Spanish Flu. Spain was not involved in the expanding great war (i.e., World War I) and therefore was not censoring it's press. However, Germany, Britain, and America were censoring their newspapers for anything that would lower morale. Therefore, Spain was the first country to publish accounts of the pandemic (Barry 171 and Furman 326), even though the pandemic most likely started in either France or the United
A few years before 1918, in the height of the First World War, a calamity occurred that stripped the globe of at least 50 million lives. (Taubenberger, 1918) This calamity was not the death toll of the war; albeit, some individuals may argue the globalization associated with the First World War perpetuated the persistence of this calamity. This calamity was referred to the Spanish Flu of 1918, but calling this devastating pestilence the “Spanish Flu” may be a historical inaccuracy, as research
The influenza pandemic of 1918 had not only altered the lives of thousands, but the habitual lives of family and work as well. The Spanish Influenza collected more lives than all of the casualties of war in the twentieth century combined. After the disease had swept through the nation, towns that once began their days in lazy, comfortable manners had begun to struggle to get through a single day. What started as a mild neglect of a typical fever or case of chills had escalated and grown at an alarmingly
Over the course of history, illnesses and pandemics have had a tremendous economic impact. Economic historians often struggle to calculate the economic impact of these events however, due to the lack of accurate records. The exception is the flu epidemic of 1918, which had a long lasting and significant impact on the world economy. In a ten month period stretching from late 1918 into early 1919, over 40 million people worldwide died as a result of the flu epidemic, about 4% of the world’s population
The History of the Flu This research paper covers the basic history of influenza. It begins with its early history and the reasons for why influenza was never feared. It also covers three influenza pandemics: the Spanish flu of 1918, the Asian flu, the Hong Kong flu and the terror and heartbreak left behind in their wakes. In addition, the paper discusses avian influenza and addresses the current threat of a bird flu pandemic. Influenza, an innocent little virus that annually comes and
like playing on the pyramids.”2 Although business was booming for these professions, it was not because of the war. It was the result of an unexpected killer that swept across the world claiming victims at an unprecedented rate. The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic stretched its lethal tentacles all over the globe, even to the most remote areas of the planet, killing fifty million people or possibly even more. Influenza killed more people in a year than the Black Death of the Middle Ages killed in
heart action slowing, and depression of all bodily functions and reactions. The flu is highly contagious and spreads around easily whenever an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. This global disaster was nicknamed the “Spanish Flu,” or “La Grippe.” The nickname of the Spanish Flu came from one of the earliest countries to be hit hard by influenza; eight million people in Spain were killed in the May of 1918. There were also other nicknames for the epidemic. The French called it “purulent
along Japan's northeastern coast, approximately 15,000 individuals were still missing, and the majority of them are poss... ... middle of paper ... ...eid, A. H., Lourens, R. M., Wang, R., Jin, G. and Fanning, T. G. (2005) 'Characterization of the 1918 influenza virus polymerase genes’ Nature 437(7060), 889-893. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v437/n7060/suppinfo/nature04230_S1.html (Accessed: 16th April, 2011) The Sydney Morning Herald (2011) ‘Japan races to find tsunami dead’ 7 April
In the spring of 1918, the first wave of one of the deadliest influenza pandemics began plaguing its victims (Peters, ix). Over the span of three lethal waves, the pandemic claimed approximately forty million victims, eradicating nearly twenty percent of the entire world’s population, or about one out of five individuals (Peters, ix). To make matters more dire, the ill-suited medical community was exceptionally unprepared for such a wide-scale pandemic: Doctors had very basic tools, knew little
from the Chelsea Naval Hospital BOSTON, September 12, 1918 Dear Journal, The Great War rages on. An influenza epidemic claims the lives of several Americans. But, the Boston Red Sox have done it again. Last night, in a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park (thanks to Carl Mays' three-hitter), the Boston Red Sox won their fifth World Series championship--amid death and disease, a reason to live ... Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox. If I die today, at least I lived to see the Sox
traditionally worn uniforms surgeons worn their own clothes during surgery. Not using anything like sterilized garments or protective wear on any party of their body. Eventually They started practising wear aprons during medical procedures In 1918 the spanish flu pandemic rose awareness about the spread of the dangerous infection. Nurses and doctor started wearing cotton gauze mask to protect themselves from the sick people that th...
Every year, flu viruses make people sick. Even a garden-variety flu may kill people, but usually only the very young or the very old. In 1918, the flu mutated into something much more deadly. Infecting 500 million people and killing 50-100 million of them, the strain of that type of flu was hastened by World War 1, which increased the lethality of the virus, giving that flu many opportunities to spread during World War 1. At the time that the flu was spreading, science wasn’t advanced enough to find
Children's Songs' Popularity in 1918 A brief review of the historical year of 1918 when people were informed to take precaution against influenza, while their children came up with a catchy tune for the "worst epidemic the United States has ever known"1 and comparing it with the influenza of today. PHILADELPHIA-- I had a little bird, Its name was Enza, I opened the window In 'flu' Enza. What is the truth behind the song mentioned above that children sing so often during those days? Ironic
Is a woman's strength determined by her endurance to stay in a hurtful relationship or is it determined by her ability to move on? The early twentieth century is known to women as the "era of exuberance." (Gilbert 1205) During the early twentieth century women began to find the answer to the question at hand deeply rooted within themselves. The answer for Katherine Anne Porter seemed to be her ability to move on based on the actions she chose in her real life. Does her literature tell a different
Borden weakened Canada politically as a country. This act that was passed in 1917 took the vote away from citizens who had emigrated from enemy countries. In addition, the act only gave army nurses and close relatives of soldiers the right to vote. In 1918, women living in Canada were given the right to vote, but they could still not be elected to Parliament. During the later part of the war, conscription was introduced which was not a good sign for many Canadians because it forced many men to leave
San Francisco and the Spanish Flu SAN FRANCISCO--No one can deny the amount of patriotism San Franciscans have for their country especially during the Great War. Rallying, Parading, and marching down the streets of San Francisco are where these civilians choose to be, whether they like wearing gauze masks or not. Such undertakings, however, are exactly the kinds of activities a community seeking to protect itself from Spanish Influenza should definitely avoid. With the commotion of World War
problems and even death. It has a potential to form into pandemics. A pandemic occurs when an influenza strain becomes easily transferred from one person to another. Pandemics are rare and usually only occur every 10-50 years. They cause a significant amount of human deaths. The H1N1 virus, or the swine flu, is what is going around now. It has affected many people worldwide, pin pointing Mexico and North America. (Khanna, 2009) The H1N1 flu virus spread worldwide very rapidly. It rooted itself in
org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc0904559 “ECDC Daily Update – Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 – 18 January 2010". European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/Documents/100118_Influenza_AH1N1_Situation_Report_0900hrs.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 25 June 2012. First Global Estimates of 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Mortality Released by CDC-Led Collaboration.http://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/pandemic-global-estimates.htm PLOS ONE. Christos Nicolaides,Luis