Influenza pandemic of 1918-1919
If pandemics were given awards, this one would receive the award for the most deadliest. While World War I claimed about 16 million lives, the Influenza (or Spanish Flu) Pandemic of 1918-1919 killed about 50 million people worldwide (roughly 675,000 were Americans).
The first wave of this pandemic occurred in the late spring of 1918 and was mild. There were few deaths reported and victims recovered after just a few days. However, the second wave came in the fall of the same year and was much more severe. Victims' skin turned blue and their lungs filled with liquids, which caused them to suffocate. Therefore, victims died within days, or even hours, after experiencing the symptoms of this disease. Strangely enough, the disease mainly killed healthy, young adults. In just one year, the average life expectancy of Americans dropped by 12 years! It is reported that more U.S. soldiers died from this disease than the war!
So the question was: How do we fight this disease? Well, the flu was spread in the air by coughing and sneezing, so some communities ordered citizens to wear masks and not shake hands. Also, libraries put a stop to lending books and regulations were passed that banned spitting. This horrible disease finally ended by the summer of 1919, but not after devastating the United States and the rest of the world. There have been no pandemics deadlier than the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919.
The first wave of this pandemic occurred in the late spring of 1918 and was mild. There were few deaths reported and victims recovered after just a few days. However, the second wave came in the fall of the same year and was much more severe. Victims' skin turned blue and their lungs filled with liquids, which caused them to suffocate. Therefore, victims died within days, or even hours, after experiencing the symptoms of this disease. Strangely enough, the disease mainly killed healthy, young adults. In just one year, the average life expectancy of Americans dropped by 12 years! It is reported that more U.S. soldiers died from this disease than the war!
So the question was: How do we fight this disease? Well, the flu was spread in the air by coughing and sneezing, so some communities ordered citizens to wear masks and not shake hands. Also, libraries put a stop to lending books and regulations were passed that banned spitting. This horrible disease finally ended by the summer of 1919, but not after devastating the United States and the rest of the world. There have been no pandemics deadlier than the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919.