1918 Flu Pandemic The influenza virus had a major impact around the world in 1918. It infected 500 million people and killed between 50 and 100 million people throughout many countries. This made it the deadliest disease outbreak in modern history. By the time the flu pandemic ended, one out of every three people on the planet had been infected.

Introduction to Influenza
Influenza is a common illness known as the flu. It attacks a person’s respiratory system and is spread through coughing, sneezing, and talking. People across the world become sick with the flu every year, especially during the winter. Signs of the flu normally include symptoms like fever, muscle aches, and chills. Fortunately, the body’s immune system can usually fight the virus and effectively recover. The 1918 flu pandemic was very different than the normal flu. It occurred when a very strong strain of influenza spread rapidly around the world and caused a high number of deaths.

The Rapid Spread of the 1918 Flu Pandemic
The exact origins of the flu pandemic are unknown, but the first confirmed outbreak occurred at a military training facility in Kansas in March 1918. Research in the last 100 years has uncovered other possible origins of the outbreak, including East Asia, Austria, and France. World War I created the ultimate conditions for the rapid spread of such a deadly disease.

Troops from all of the countries involved in World War I contributed to the spread of the flu. Soldiers from the United States, Great Britain, Russia, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary spent years living and traveling in very close quarters. Just one sneeze or cough could spread thousands of virus germs. This meant that the soldiers’ living arrangements and travel routes caused others to catch the flu throughout 1918. The soldiers were also suffering from weak immune systems due to stress, chemical attacks, and malnourishment.

A streetcar conductor refusing to allow passengers aboard who are not wearing masks
A streetcar conductor refusing to allow passengers aboard who are not wearing masks
Scientists and medical experts are still trying to understand why the 1918 flu pandemic killed so many young adults instead of older adults and children. A full 99 percent of influenza deaths in the United States in 1918 occurred in people under 65 years old. About 50 percent of those deaths were adults between the ages of 20 and 40. This pattern was very different than the trends seen during most flu outbreaks that are generally more dangerous for infants and the elderly. It is believed that the strain of the flu spread throughout 1918 was unusually strong and led to deadly pneumonia.

The Impact on Communities
Countries like Germany, America, and the United Kingdom did not want their citizens to know about the outbreak of the flu in 1918. Governments wanted to keep public morale high during the war, so they limited how much the news talked about the flu. Spain was a neutral country, so other countries reported the flu outbreak among the Spanish instead. Even Spanish King Alfonso XIII suffered from the flu. This uneven reporting led the pandemic to also become known as the Spanish Flu.

Many communities across the world were severely impacted by the flu pandemic. Since doctors and scientists did not understand what caused the flu or how it should be handled, patients usually suffered without any treatment. The first flu vaccine wasn’t developed until years later in the 1940s. To make matters worse, many doctors, physicians, and other health experts were out of the country fighting in World War I. Many medical professionals who were still in the United States became victims of the flu themselves.

Two Red Cross nurses demonstrate how to transport influenza patients
Two Red Cross nurses demonstrate how to transport influenza patients
Communities responded to the flu outbreak in many different ways. Some towns created quarantines for the sick, told residents to stay inside, and shut down public buildings like schools, churches, and theaters. Families were also torn apart by the flu. Many children became orphans, and funeral parlors couldn’t keep up with the number of deaths in their areas. Even garbage collection, mail delivery, and other community services were unable to continue because so many employees were sick.

The End of the Flu Pandemic
The flu pandemic ended unexpectedly toward the end of 1918. Researchers believe that the flu virus changed quickly and became less lethal, which allowed victims to recover. It has become known as the “forgotten pandemic.” It quickly faded from public memory because the dramatic events of World War I continued to dominate the media.

THIS IS THE QUESTION: How were World War I and the 1918 flu pandemic connected? How might the 1918 flu pandemic have ended up differently if World War I had not been going on? Explain your reasoning and support it with evidence from the text.

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