Influenza Pandemic Research Paper

The influenza pandemic of 1918 was a devastating period in both New Zealand and world history. Cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history and responsible for more deaths than World War I, this influenza pandemic resulted in anywhere from 20 to 40 million deaths worldwide (Billings 1997:). The effect it had on New Zealand history was catastrophic, killing nearly 8,500 (Rice). Perhaps the most notable discrepancy in effect that the pandemic had on New Zealand population was the contrast of death rates between Europeans and Māori. According to Rice, Māori were seven times more likely than Pākehā (Europeans) to die from the disease. This massive decline in the population undoubtedly had far-reaching effects into the Māori …show more content…
After the disease had subsided, an influential health initiative, the 1920 Health Act, reorganized the Department of Health. However, these and the other initiatives that followed could not take back the losses that Maori had already endured. These losses that the Great Flu inflicted on Māori society are not easily quantifiable and the social impact of this outbreak was far more severe than we can ever know for certain (Rice, et al. …show more content…
Originally, the official Māori death count was 1,130, according to Dr. Makgill’s 191 Health Department report (Rice:2016). Taken into consideration that the Māori population at the time was known to be roughly 50,000, the death rate was calculated to be 22.6 per thousand. This first figure was already five times the European rate. In 1920, the Medical Officer of Māori Hygiene Dr. Peter Buck referred to the influenza epidemic as ‘the severest setback the race has received since the fighting days of Hongi Hika’ ( Bryder 1982:97) However, even in the aftermath it was accepted that the published death toll were less than the reality. It is now evident today that these figures were grossly underestimated. Not only were a significant portion of the Māori deaths not registered, but the methods used to total those that were accounted for were faulty; only the deaths registered prior to December 31st, 1918 were included in the report, failing to account for death counts that were received later in the wake of the disaster (Rice 2016: ). In addition, many tribes were not interested in registering their dead for obvious reasons of mourning, shock, and indifference towards Pākehā official matters. This left even more uncertainty in the true number of Māori that succumbed to the pandemic. Even with the revision in the Māori death count to