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The Spanish Flu lasted approximately one year in 1918 - 1919. It was a very deadly pandemic during WW1 and is estimated to have killed between 25 and 50 million people world wide in that short time period, perhaps the worst human infectious disease toll in all of recorded history. The plague in the middle ages killed 8 to 13 million, for comparison. It may have influenced the outcome of some battles in WWI since it was taking a heavy toll on military men from all parts of the world.
Interestingly the French called that flu the German Flu while it was called the French Flu in Germany. The only reason it is called the Spanish Flu is that it became world news when first reported widely in Spanish newspapers (that were some of the only papers that continued printing, publishing and distributing internationally during WWI.) It is believed that this pandemic probably actually originated in the US and spread globally by soldiers moving between the home front and foreign countries during the war.
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What pandemic hit the world in 1918?
spanish flu
Where did the Spanish flu come from?
The spanish flu virus is believed to have started in Asia like most of the flu viruses, and then made its way to the US where it may have mutated on the way to become the pandemic Spanish flu of 1918. During this time of WW1, as soldiers were coming back to the US from war zones across the world and others were being sent from the US into the war, the virus spread to hundreds of millions of people in the US and worldwide. It did not originate in Spain. It is called the Spanish flu only because that is how most people first heard about it, from Spanish newspapers that, unlike newspapers in many other countries, continued to publish and get distributed throughout the war.
How did the 1918 illness get the nickname Spanish flu?
The spreading illness that became a pandemic was first widely known about when reported in the Spanish newspapers, which were some of the only sources of world news during that period of World War 1. Because the news about it came from Spain, people began referring to it as the Spanish flu and it stuck. It is believed to have originated in the US and then spread worldwide, it was not believed to have started in Spain, although the name implies that.
How did World War 1 contribute to Europes economic weaknesses leading up to the Great Depression?
Answer this question…Returning soldiers spread Spanish flu, killing millions, and leaving others unable to work.
What should you do when you have the Spanish Flu?
The infectious disease that has been called Spanish Flu was another type of influenza that was particularly virulent and deadly and caused the pandemic of 1918-1919. Unless you can go back in time, you may not be able to catch this anymore, as it is thought to have mutated to different strains that have changed them and their symptoms significantly. Swine flu was a similar subtype of influenza with similar characteristics in symptoms, however, it was not as deadly as the 1918 disease. Some viruses just "die out" and there is no further replication of them due to the mutations that frequently occur in viruses, especially flu and cold viruses. At that time of the Spanish Flu, science also did not know about viruses as an infective agent. There was no treatment like we have today with the antiviral medicines. They also had not learned about use of antibiotics for killing bacteria until the late 19th century. Therefore, in 1918, antibiotics were not as developed and did not treat as many kinds of bacteria as the ones we have today can. Those who get secondary bacterial pneumonia now can be readily treated with antibiotics. There is also now better treatment of "cytokine storm," which is thought to have been a complication of the Spanish Flu that added to the number of deaths. This is a complex complication of infectious diseases; sort of an "over-reaction" by the immune system. Today we have no cures for the flu of any kind. However, it now can be treated with antiviral drugs (that lessen the duration and severity of symptoms), but that is not a "cure". We also can prevent many types of influenza with vaccines, and we have better treatment for the symptoms so we aren't as miserable. So, if you would get Spanish Flu, it would be different than that in 1918. It would need to have a new vaccine developed, like was necessary with the Swine Flu in 2009. Until then, since it can't be prevented, you would treat the symptoms as we do with any other influenza illness today.
How was the Spanish flu different from the regular flu?
Yes
Was the Spanish flu avian or swine?
The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was closely related to an avian virus.
Where did the Spanish flu hit?
The Spanish Flu was a true Pandemic, affecting every corner of the world.
How do you get well once you have the spanish flu?
Your body has to respond to the Spanish flu before you get better, It usually takes 7 to 10 days. However the Spanish flu epidemic occurred in 1918. It was called the H1 N1 influenza.
Is the avian flu viral or bacterial?
Spanish flu is viral.
What does gripe mean in spanish?
the flu
What was the deadliest flu?
The Spanish Flu during WWI killed millions world wide.
What was the worst pandemic?
The 1918 pandemic of the Spanish Flu killed multiple millions world wide.
Was there ever an epidemic?
Spanish Flu 1918
What cells are affected by the Spanish flu?
The lungs.
How were soilders in world war 1 affect by the Spanish flu?
Estimated that anywhere from 20 to 100 million people were killed worldwide by the Spanish Flu
How long will weakness last after flu?
how long will weakness and malaise last after the flu
