1. Pandemic at End of World War I
It is believed that the Spanish Flu originated in Tibet or China where it underwent a genetic shift that made it more dangerous than previous strains. The flu was spread by soldiers entering France and then moving into Spain. This strain of influenza became known as the Spanish Flu when it began to receive increased media attention as it traveled from France to Spain. The flu spread widely in 1918 and ended in the summer of 1920. By the end of the pandemic, more than 21 million people had died of it, more people than were killed as a result of World War I. About one-fifth of the world's population suffered from the flu. Almost all subsequent cases of influenza are believed to be descendants of the Spanish Flu.
2. Affects the Young and Healthy
The flu is often associated with older adults, young children, and those with suppressed immune systems. The Spanish Flu, however, affected many people who were young and healthy. The flu had the greatest impact on those between the ages of 20 and 40. When people who are running society are falling ill it ends up affecting everyone. This aspect of the Spanish Flu pandemic contributed to its devastating impact on societies around the globe.
3. Spanish Flu US History
Soldiers who caught the flu in Europe brought it back to the US at some point during 1918. Ultimately, more than 25% of Americans suffered from the Spanish Flu. About 33,000 people in New York City and 675,000 in the whole country died from the flu. Even President Woodrow Wilson caught a mild case while negotiating the Treaty of Versailles in France. The epidemic led to a shortage of health care workers, medical supplies, coffins, and gravediggers.
4. Methods to Stop the Spread in the US
Departments of health distributed gauze masks that everyone was supposed to wear. In some places attempts were made to sterilize public objects such as water fountains and public telephones. Quarantines were implemented in cities such as San Francisco and Washington DC. The quarantines were not effective because the endemic was too large and widespread at the point when the quarantines were imposed. Quarantines and other measures, such as outlawing public events, infringed on personal rights but were thought necessary for the health of the general public.
5. Scientists Re-create the Deadly Strain
RNA from the Spanish Flu was analyzed in order to understand which of its genetic characteristics led to killing millions of people. The flu was re-created by scientists in order to further explore what made the strain especially lethal. These studies are controversial as some people fear that the information gained from the studies could be used by terrorists to re-create the Spanish Flu as a biological weapon. Proponents of the studies argue that the information learned could help prevent or treat a future outbreak.
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