A disease that claimed the lives of millions of people. We present the history of a disease that shook the foundations of the entire globe. Why and where did it appear? How was the pandemic dealt with at the beginning of the last century?
The First Strike of a Mysterious Disease
The name „Spanish flu” came from the suspicion that this pandemic developed precisely in Spain. The emergence of the Spanish flu was linked to the situation during World War I, when this disease began to develop. Spain, as the only neutral state in this conflict, had no interest in concealing the true statistics regarding infections. Other countries, however, censored information on this subject on a wide scale. For this reason, it seemed that the epidemiological situation in Spain had spiraled out of control.
The first wave of Spanish flu took place in the state of Kansas (USA) in January 1918. From this location, a certain number of people were drafted into the military. Within a few days, over five hundred people with symptoms of infection reported to the doctor at the military camp. The first wave caused great concern. It claimed the lives of a large number of people. It was not known what this disease was.
The second wave arrived in August of the same year, this time in France. This was the wave with the greatest death toll, as it claimed the most lives. The Spanish flu was probably transmitted by American soldiers who reached Europe by sea. The third wave, meanwhile, took place in the United States and several parts of Europe. It claimed a significantly smaller number of victims.
What Exactly Is the Spanish Flu?
Symptoms of the flu included high body temperature, nausea, and severe cough. The disease developed in the lungs, literally destroying this organ. Further complications were very serious. They led to death within a few days, and in more severe cases, even within a day.
The Spanish flu was very distinctive. This disease primarily attacked the lungs and the entire immune system. After research conducted by scientists, initial conclusions were formulated. The epidemic affected younger people because they have the most developing immune system.
Symptoms and complications with the Spanish flu were very similar to the currently prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. It can be considered that these are similar diseases because they attack the lungs. However, there are fundamental differences. Vaccines against coronavirus were invented in a decidedly shorter time. They are administered primarily to people in the highest risk group, namely older people and doctors and nurses.
Averting the Deadly Disease
The Spanish flu appeared literally across the entire globe. It bypassed only a few islands. The only place that slowed infections was Australia, which blocked the flow of American troops into the interior of the continent. Thanks to this, the virus reached Australians at a time when it was no longer so deadly.
To counteract the spread of the flu, populations around the world wore fabric masks. During the pandemic, typhoid and diphtheria vaccines began to be administered among the military population. Thanks to this, the mortality rate in this social group decreased. The first vaccines for Spanish flu were created at the turn of the 1930s and 1940s.
The Spanish flu claimed the lives of millions of people. According to some estimates, as many as 50 million people worldwide died. Nearly 500 million people contracted this flu between 1918 and 1920. Initially, it was believed that the disease was caused by bacteria. Medicine at that time had no idea that a virus was the reason for so many infections. The pandemic subsided in 1920, when the last infected people appeared.
The Spanish flu pandemic left an enormous mark on the fate of the entire world. It appeared at a time when medicine was not so highly developed. The Spanish flu claimed the lives of millions of people. Unfortunately, we will never know how the situation would have unfolded if a cure had been invented sooner.
