The Influenza Outbreak of 1918

A detailed Summary of The Influenza Outbreak of 1918

The Influenza Outbreak of 1918 killed thousands of Americans and millions of humans around the world. The outbreak killed ten times more people than the Great War, also known as World War One. Influenza was also known as the "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe". The name "Spanish Flu" came from immense casualties in Spain, where 8 million in May alone were killed. In any language, the disease was a global disaster. Across the globe, the influenza started as a benign common cold. This influenza virus was unusual because it did not affect the elderly and young children. Twenty to forty year olds were infected most. The average life span in America depleted ten years because of this flu. The death rate of fifteen to thirty-four year olds of influenza and pneumonia were twenty times higher than in previous years. Symptoms of the flu included cough, nasal problems, sore throat, burning eyes, fever, muscular pain, and inflammation of the mucous membrane (usually the nose) consisting of a watery discharge. Those ill with influenza would rapidly develop a bad case of pneumonia and struggle for air until they died of trying to clear their airways of blood that extinguished from their nose and mouth.

The influenza outbreaks occurred often in Nort

h America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Brazil, South Pacific, and India. The pandemic was believed to have begun in early March 1918 because soldiers at Fort Riley, Kansas burned large amounts of manure. Two days after the burning of manure the first soldier at Fort Riley reported feeling sick. Then, forty-eight soldiers at Fort Riley died of a listed cause of pneumonia. The virus also followed soldiers that moved to Europe and diffused from whichever area they had been moved. The first large outbreak appeared in early spring of 1918 in military camps throughout the United States. The second outbreak was found in Boston of September 1918 where the ports were full of shipments with supplies and machinery. The disease was believed to have worked its way from Kansas to Asia, continuing to affect the military and also the general public.

The influenza virus infects humans, pigs, birds, horses, and seals, and is transmitted between pigs and humans. That is why it is possible that the burning of manure in Fort Riley, Kansas, may have caused the pandemic. Many people died each day, and a shortage of coffins, morticians, and gravediggers occurred, and coffins were often reused again and again. The American government relied on science and scientists to use their new technology, germ theory, antiseptic surgery, and vaccines to preserve the men fighting on the front and ultimately save the world.

The general public was being infected quickly. Large cities found casualties in the thousands because the disease spread so quickly in areas with many people

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Category: Science