American Influenza In 1918

In the fall of 1918 across the globe, something erupted that seemed as benign as the common cold. The influenza of that season, however, this was far more than a cold. It is known as the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide, about one-third of the planet's population and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims. The flu was most deadly for people ages 20 to 40. It infected 28% of all Americans. an estimated 700,000 Americans died of influenza during the pandemic, ten times as many as in the world war. Of the U.S. soldiers who died in Europe, half of them fell to the influenza virus and not to the enemy. the sick, who experienced such typical flu symptoms died within hours or days of developing …show more content…
So, the opinion differs on that point. All that is known is that it began as the ordinary flu but then it changed. some scientist claim that it began as a bird virus and then randomly and unexpectedly changed in generic structure to a form that enabled it to affect people. Some believe that it originated as the avian flu passed from pigs in a nearby pen to soldiers in military camp Funston, in Kansas, America. It spread fast and quickly became a worldwide pandemic. But overall no one knows for sure what caused the Spanish flu and it turned into a killer …show more content…
In late spring of 1918, the first phase, known as the "three-day fever," appeared without warning. Few deaths were reported. Victims recovered after a few days. When the disease surfaced again that fall, it was far more severe. In the United States alone over 700,000 people died, which is greater than the total number of American deaths in both World Wars, The Korean War, and Vietnam, combined. The greatest number of deaths from the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-1919, however, occurred in young adults. People between the ages of 20 and 40. Because influenza was more likely to kill parents than children, there was a sharp rise in the number of orphans in the province. There are records noting that at the Ford motor company more than 1,000 workers called in sick with the flu. In San Quentin prison, 500, of 1,900 prisoners became ill. On March 4th the flu came to camp Funston (now Fort Riley) in Kansas, a training camp for 20,000 recruits. The Spanish flu affected the war effort. Commanders were complaining that the disease is hindering their ability to fight. businesses were forced to shut down because so many employees were sick. Basic services such as mail delivery and garbage collection were hindered due to flu-stricken workers. In some places, there weren’t enough farm workers to harvest crops. In New York City, Huge signs bore the words ‘it is unlawful to cough or sneeze’ and warned of a $500 fine or a year in jail. Within days over 500