The Spanish Influenza Pandemic 1918

By: Angelina Torre

World War 1

WW1

• The flu spread quickly when soldiers carried the flu with them wherever they traveled.

• A theory is that the stresses of combat increased the soldiers vulnerability to the virus.

• Modern transportation made it easier to spread the flu.

• the flu had killed 57,000 American soldiers which is 4000 more than those killed in the war itself.

• In total 25% of Americans got the virus.

Where did it come from? Tibet?

China?

Spain?

Kansas?

Theories of Origin

• The virus originated in China in a rare genetic shift of the influenza virus.

• It came from the far East• The virus came from Fort Riley, Kansas by two genetic

mechanisms. • It mutated in swine• The virus jumped from birds to humans• The virus started in Tibet, spread to Europe and was

spread to troops coming back to the U.S• The flu was thought to have come from Spain because

the most reliable news coverage came from that area, thus the image Spain was most affected.

People Affected

• The flu targeted the young and healthy.

• Half of all deaths in 1918 were of people between twenty and forty.

• Deaths occurred from what is referred to as a “cytokine storm” or a overreaction of

the immune system.

Symptoms

• Blue tint to the face• Coughing up blood• Hemorrhaging• Deaths occurred in hours, or the next day.• October 1918 was the deadliest month in

U.S. history with 195,000 fatalities• The flu spread so intensely, health care

workers became too sick to take care of their patients.

Treatment

• Communities…..

Closed businesses and churches

Stayed indoors

Stores stopped sales to avoid crowds and shoppers phoned in orders.

Wore masks.

.

• “Obey the laws, and wear the gauze, protect your jaws, from septic paws.”

• “I had a little bird.  Its name was Enza.I opened the window, And in-flu-enza”

Waves of the flu

The first was mild compared to the last two deadly waves.

It spread through the U.S, Europe, and Asia

The second had high fatalities

These outbreaks occurred in France, Brest, Freetown, Boston, Massachusetts. and Sierra Leone

The third wave was in March 1919 and spread in England and Wales.

• It is estimated 50-100 million people died from the Spanish Influenza:

Mortality by country

• India- 17 million

• Japan- 390,000

• United States- 500,000- 675,000

• Britain- 250,000

• France – 400,000

• Canada- 50,000

• Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)- 1.5 million

• Australia-12,000

• Fiji Islands- 14% of the population

• Western Samoa- 22%

• Entire villages perished in Alaska and Southern Africa

The Impact

• The pandemic caused large business failures and stunted economic growth years after.

• People began to listen to authorities of public health.• The pandemic has inspired American Literature such

as:Pale Horse, Pale Ride- Katherine Ann Porter

The Doctor’s Son- John O’Hara

If I die before I wake- David Morrell

Research and testing is still being done today by recreating the virus for research and studying historic tissue samples.

Bibliography• Billings, Molly. “The 1918 Influenza Pandemic”• http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/ (April 2010).• Cummings, Sarah.” Spanish Influenza Outbreak.”• http://www.haverford.edu/biology/edwards/disease/viral_essays/

cummingsvirus.htm (April 2010).• Crane, Leonard. “The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic and the emerging swine

flu pandemic.”• http://www.ninthday.com/spanish_flu.htm (May 2010)• Kreiser, Christine. “The 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, the enemy within”• Historynet.com. • http://www.historynet.com/1918-spanish-influenza-outbreak-the-enemy-

within.htm (May 2010)• Parsons, David. “The Spanish lady and the Newfoundland regiment.”• http://www.vlib.us/medical/parsons.htm (May 2010)