The Spanish Flu: 1918

Written by Maya Sharma.

We don't know exactly where it started — its origin is still debated — but it spread around the world, taking an estimated 50,000,000 lives.

People thought that taking large doses of aspirin would alleviate symptoms. Some researchers later proposed that aspirin poisoning — at doses of up to 30 grams a day, far above today's maximum of about 4 grams — may have contributed to the high October 1918 death toll (Karen Starko, Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2009). Since there were no vaccines, people had to practice social distancing and hope the medication they used worked. It wasn't until decades later that scientists understood why the virus was so deadly — much of the damage came from the body's own immune response.

Western Samoa was one of the worst-hit places on earth. On November 7, 1918, a ship arrived in Apia from Auckland; the port officer let ill passengers ashore without proper quarantine. About 8,500 people died — roughly a fifth of the population. New Zealand, which administered the islands, bore responsibility. In 2002, Prime Minister Helen Clark formally apologized.

Since countries at war censored their news, people could only read in-depth accounts from neutral Spain — so they assumed the country was the pandemic's ground zero. (Spain was hit hard too.)

In the US, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and San Francisco were among the hardest-hit cities. Let's look at a few:

Philadelphia acted terribly. Even as the flu spread through its naval camps, the city decided to host a massive Liberty Loans parade on September 28, 1918. The parade became one of history's great superspreader events — hospitals overflowed within days, and thousands died in the weeks that followed.

St. Louis was quick to react. Even before the flu got serious in the US, it shut down stores, schools, and movie theaters.

San Francisco passed a law requiring masks in public — violators faced a $5 fine. Mortality declined, though businesses soon pushed back to reopen.

What lessons can help tackle coronavirus?

Act quickly. Just because stores are still open — don't go. A PNAS study found that U.S. cities which implemented multiple restrictions early had about 50% lower peak mortality than those that didn't.

Spread the word. In 1918, when the only uncensored news came from Spain, people still wanted to be informed. Today news is everywhere — yet many ignore it. Tell your friends and family to read up, and STAY INSIDE!

STAY SAFE, AND STAY HOME!

Originally published April 2020.