The Forgotten Pandemic
The 1918 Flu Epidemic
Presentation by Robert Martinez
Primary Content Source: Wikipedia “Spanish Flu.”
Images as cited.
http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/bio/_images/fact_sheet/1918%20flu-1.jpg
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I had a little bird,
Its name was Enza,
I opened the window,
And in-flew-enza.
American Skipping Rhyme (circa 1918.)
The 1918 flu pandemic, commonly referred
to as the Spanish flu, was an influenza
pandemic that spread to nearly every part of
the world.
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It was caused by an unusually virulent and
deadly influenza A virus strain called H1N1.
Historical data is inadequate in identifying
the geographic origin of the virus.
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Most of its victims were healthy young
adults, in contrast to most influenza
outbreaks which predominantly affect
juvenile, elderly, or otherwise weakened
immune-system patients.
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The pandemic lasted from March 1918 to
June 1920, spreading even to the Arctic and
remote Pacific Islands.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Spanish_flu_death_chart.png
It is estimated that anywhere from 20 to 100
million people were killed worldwide. The
pandemic is estimated to have affected up
to one billion people, half the world’s
population at the time.
http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/1918_flu_in_Oakland.jpg/180px-1918_flu_in_Oakland.jpg
In the United States, the disease was first
observed at Fort Riley, Kansas on March 4,
1918, and in Queens, New York, on March
11, 1918.
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The Allies of WW I came to call it the Spanish flu,
primarily because the pandemic received greater
press attention after it moved from France into
Spain in November 1918. Spain was neutral
during WWI, therefore, the press was not
censured as in other warring countries.
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Modern scientists have used tissue
samples from frozen victims to reproduce
the virus for study. Among the conclusions
of this research is that the virus kills by a
overreaction of the body’s immune
system).
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Therefore, the strong immune systems of
young adults ravaged the body, whereas
the weaker immune systems of children
and middle-aged adults caused fewer
deaths.
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The global mortality rate from the
pandemic is not known. Influenza may
have killed as many as 25 million in its first
25 weeks ( a fast killer.)
.
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This pandemic has been described as “the
greatest medical holocaust in history” and
may have killed more people than the
Black Death.
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Approximate Deaths
Worldwide Samples
•
•
•
•
•
•
India – 17 million
Japan – 390,000
U.S. – 675,000
England – 250,000
France – 400,000
Canada – 50,000
* http://en.wikipedia.org/Flu_epidemic_of_1918
*
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This huge death toll was caused by an
extremely high infection rate of up to 50%,
and the extreme severity of the symptoms.
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One of the most striking of the
complications was hemorrhaging
(bleeding) from the mucous membranes,
especially from the nose, stomach, and
intestines, ears, and lesions in the skin.
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Symptoms included a blue tint to the face
and coughing up blood caused by severe
obstruction of the lungs.
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In some cases, the virus caused
uncontrollable hemorrhaging that filled the
lungs, and patients drowned in their own
body fluids (pneumonia.)
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While WWI did not cause the flu, the close
troop quarters and massive troop
movements accelerated the pandemic,
increasing transmission.
http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/resources/BCBB9421-6B48-487A-8808-077A24A0CA9A/
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Some researchers speculate that the
soldiers’ immune systems were weakened
by malnourishment, and the stresses of
combat and chemical attacks, increasing
their susceptibility to the disease.
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The virus helped tip the balance of power in
the war towards the Allied cause. The flu hit
the Central Powers before it the Allied
Powers, and the mortality rates in Germany
and Austria were considerably higher than
Britain and France.
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An additional factor of the Spanish flu (like
today) was increased travel. Modern
transportation systems made it easier for
people to spread the disease quickly to
communities worldwide.
http://www.ltmcollection.org/resources/index.html?IXglossary=First+World+War
The Great Influenza was the source of
much fear in citizens around the world.
Inflaming that fear was the fact that world
governments and health officials were
downplaying the situation.
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While the panic from WWI was dwindling,
governments attempted to keep morale up
by spreading lies and downplaying the
influenza.
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While medical scientists attempted to
discover a cure or vaccine, there was
virtually no assistance from world
governments. The war in Europe had
become the #1 priority.
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Many historians have called the Spanish
flu the “forgotten pandemic.”
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The majority of deaths, in both WWI and in
the Spanish Flu epidemic, were young
adults. The deaths caused by the flu may
have been overlooked due to the large
numbers of deaths in the war.
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In addition, during this time period,
pandemic outbreaks were not uncommon;
typhoid, yellow fever, diphtheria, and
cholera all occurred near the same time
period.
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Notable Epidemic Survivors
Presidents Woodrow Wilson & Franklin D. Roosevelt
http://www.answers.com/topic/woodrow-wilson
http://www.answers.com/topic/franklin-d-roosevelt
Spanish Flu Survivors
Famed animator Walt Disney
Silent film super-star Mary Pickford
http://www.answers.com/topic/mary-pickford
http://www.answers.com/topic/walt-disney
Spanish Flu Survivors
U.S. General John J. Pershing, WWI
Wilhelm II, German Emperor, WWI
http://www.answers.com/topic/john-j-pershing-1
http://www.answers.com/topic/wilhelm-ii-of-germany
Notable Flu Survivor
Leo Szilard, Inventor
Nuclear Chain Reaction
http://www.answers.com/topic/le-szil-rd-2
Swine Flu 2009
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Swine Flu 2009
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Swine Flu 2009
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Swine Flu 2009
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Texas cancels high school athletics as flu
cases grow to 16
Comal ISD/New Braunfels ISD closing all schools
SWINE FLU: 1st Death in US is Child in Texas;
All Comal schools closed until May 11
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