Spanish Flu Research Paper

Have you ever had the flu? If you have, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s not the most pleasant thing in the world. In nineteen eighteen there was a flu epidemic that spread worldwide, it later became known as the Spanish flu. This was a deadly virus that most did not survive. It shocked and effected many people. The Spanish Flu of nineteen eighteen was one of the worst epidemics in American history because it killed more than 20.6 million people worldwide.

The Spanish Flu was a virus, it was the second deadliest influenza in history, other than the Bubonic Plague. It was estimated to have killed between twenty and fifty million people worldwide. Out of these people an estimated minimum of sixty thousand alone died in the U.S. It was said

to have at one time affected nearly one out of every four Americans. The Spanish flu caused fever, chills, headaches, body aches, and fatigue. Fevers could reach temperatures as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit, but were usually around the range of 101-104. Death usually occurred in forty-eight hours, caused by pneumonia and pulmonary edema, which is excess fluid in the lungs. This caused the victims to suffocate. The virus also caused people to, within hours, turn blue. After two months of the virus spreading doctors noticed that there were three types of victims (see appendix for more information.) Unlike others. This influenza killed mainly young, healthy adults between the ages of twenty and forty. Today, doctors have discovered that the Spanish Flu was a type of H1N1. The Spanish flu killed more people than World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined.
The Spanish flu took place in the years of 1918-1919, and it was a worldwide epidemic. The Spanish flu got its name because it affected eighty percent of all the people in Spain, but it was spread all over. It started in the fall of 1918, as the final year of World War 1 was coming to an end. It came out of nowhere, as a total surprise. The first reported outbreaks were from the U.S. By September 18 forty deaths had occurred in Boston. The disease quickly spread to South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. However, many people find it very peculiar that there were not a lot of cases reported by the government. “By May 1919 the virus had claimed nearly eight million people in Spain alone. The flu pandemic came almost to an end by the summer of 1919, as it was said to have suddenly disappeared.” (Gale virtual reference library, The Great influenza pandemic)
The Spanish flu affected not just only people, but towns and whole societies as well. At times, entire families were wiped out by the virus. An estimated 49,700 children between the ages of one and four died of the influenza in 1918. The United States they took many different measures to try to contain the virus. They shut down schools, theatres, restaurants, churches, and other public places. Stores could not hold sales because of how many people would be attracted to them. The Public Health Department distributed masks for everyone to wear in public. Even funerals had to be limited to fifteen minutes each. The flu got so bad that the government passed a regulation banning spitting. Boston Globe newspaper once said, “Kiss through a handkerchief.” The fact that the influenza was so bad that people were told that they should kiss through a handkerchief shows how bad it was. Tents were pitched on hospital lawns to hold the overflow of patients, which at most hospitals was three times what they could hold. Bodies actually had to be put in plies at the city morgues because of the lack of space. The influenza was so deadly that the average life span in the United Sates decreased by ten years. “I had a little bird, and its name was Enza. I opened the window, and in-flew-Enza.” (unknown, History.com)
At the time, scientists had no idea what to do or what was causing this sudden outbreak.

There was no cure or vaccine that people could take to try and stay clear of the virus. Doctors at hospitals and medical clinics had the job of making the victims as comfortable as possible. Some scientists believe that the virus originated from Asia. They also believe that birds were the original source of the Spanish Flu. Other scientists believe that the virus was in America and other countries reserved by animals. The influenza spread worldwide, by people on shipping lines and trade routes. Men in the service and women that worked at the military institutions were the first people to catch the influenza. Eighty years later, Dr. Johan Hultin decided to get to the bottom of the puzzling epidemic. He dug up the cemetery of Brevig Mission, Alaska where he believed there were multiple bodies that could have the virus frozen in them doormat because of the frigid temperatures. From this study he learned that the Spanish Flu was a type of H1N1. To this day scientists still aren’t exactly sure what the Spanish flu was and where it came from, but as the technology and medical equipment continue to develop they hope to figure out more. Scientists say that if the virus was to come back, they believe that it would be

curable.
The Spanish flu was a tragedy. It killed millions of people and affected even more families. Unfortunately in 1918 there was so vaccine, so the virus spread worldwide, most did not survive. Other than the Bubonic Plague, this was the worst recorded pandemic in all of American history. Although it has been long since 1918, we will never forget the incident. Everyday scientists are trying to figure out the exact cause of the influenza, because you never really know, where did it go? Could it come back?