Although this influenza was named the Spanish Flu, it didn’t originate in Spain. World War I was not over and most countries were under news censorship. Spain was a neutral country and was able to provide the world with news about the pandemic so people assumed it was the country of origin.
The geographical location of the original outbreak of the 1918 flu pandemic was not exactly known. This was due to insufficient data collection and global communication during that era. In addition, various strains of the disease sprang up in many locations at the same time and spread quickly.
Symptoms of the Spanish Flu
The majority of deaths were due to secondary infection caused by influenza that led to bacterial pneumonia. In some cases, the Spanish Flu attacked the lungs directly and death resulted from swelling and hemorrhaging.
Another complication resulting from the Spanish Flu was bleeding from mucous membranes, namely the stomach, nose and intestines. Some victims experienced bleeding in the ears or under the skin. In some cases, there were neural disorders that led to mental illness.
Worldwide Effects of the Spanish Flu Pandemic
The Spanish Flu hit the world in two waves. The first wave began in March 1918 and it exhibited the typical behavior of influenza. People with weaker immune systems, such as the elderly and children were affected the most. Healthier people were able to recover.
The second wave occurred in August, 1918 and it mutated into a deadly strain. This time it attacked healthy young adults. Soldiers who were stationed in Europe during World War I were hard hit. The pandemic quickly spread through the trenches, field hospitals, military trains and ships. Soldiers carried the disease as they returned to their homelands after the war.
Influenza reached all parts of the world, even to the Arctic and remote Pacific Islands. The disease was carried by people who were involved in the maritime industry, scientific exploration and trading. It was noted that places where the humidity was high, the spread of the disease was even more rapid.
In a report prepared by Molly Billings for Stanford University, she described the fatal effect of the Spanish Flu. “The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than World War I, at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people…cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347-1351. “
According to an article posted in the Bangkok Times in January, 2009; “A US estimate in 1927 put the worldwide death toll at 21 million. Another published estimate in 1991 put it at between 24.7-39.3 million, while a paper in 2002 ventured a count of up to 100 million.”
Countries began to take measures to prevent the spreading of the Spanish Flu. They stopped all maritime and overland travel. They also exercised quarantine procedures by setting up makeshift hospitals and many residents wore cloth masks.
By 1919, the Spanish Flu was no longer a pandemic. This was due to the medical field discovering more effective ways to treat the disease and the influenza mutating to a milder form.
The world is still not finished with influenza outbreaks. There have been occurrences of Swine Flu and Avian Flu. Modern medicine constantly analyzes new mutations and ensures there are drugs available for treatment as well as quarantine procedures.
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