The Great War was coming to end and with it soldiers were returning home. Returning home with them was a disease known as influenza. The global interconnectedness from this total war not only connected people and violence but also spread the flu. Influenza killed many citizens globally and was difficult to stop, due to a lack of medical knowledge. Africa and India had a similar response to the influenza epidemic as both blamed the unfortunateness on the divine. Another similar reaction happened in the U.S. and New Zealand as there was an increase in volunteering and in British Samoa and Rio de Janeiro the citizens were upset by the unprepared government response. A similar response took place in Africa and India as the reaction to the spread of influenza turned many citizens in Africa and India to blame the divine to the extent they refused treatment because the citizens felt God had chosen this fate (Docs 3,6). The Natives in Eastern Africa began to accept their fate as they had coffins made (Doc 6). The purpose of this document shows that the Natives were not fighting …show more content…
In Rio de Janeiro, the newspapers were only concerned with the spread of the flu (Doc 4). The historical context that this article took place in South America shows the negligence of medical centers. The flu had been known to the world as well as the alarming rate of the spread of it, yet there were no medicals safety precautions being taken place. By time the flu and reached South America, medical facilities had the chance to make safety precautions as to stop the spreading of the virus. The same angry reaction occured in British Samoa as the newspapers blamed the British government for neglecting to issue isolation when influenza had spread to Samoa (Doc