Research Paper On The Spanish Flu Pandemic Of 1918

The Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 was one of the most devastating epidemics in recorded history. In our lives, the closest that some may have come to experiencing an event like this is the Covid-19 pandemic. Like Covid-19, people had to wear masks and gloves, practice social distancing, and even isolate themselves from others to prevent the spread of the Spanish flu. The Spanish flu as a matter of fact was much worse than Covid-19, the virus killed more than 21 million people and infected about 500 million people by the end of 1918. The Spanish flu, otherwise known as influenza, was one of the deadliest viruses that occurred in recorded history. Today, we must understand this pandemic to learn how to prevent and treat future pandemics that may eventually

The Spanish flu was the 1918 pandemic that severely impacted the world. The virus behind it, known as influenza, spreads from person to person. It can be spread through droplets that can be produced in close contact from coughing, talking, or sneezing that are then inhaled by another person. In most cases, the flu is not fatal as soon as you get it; some people get the flu, and it lasts for a short period of time. However, if a person is not properly caring for themselves while ill, the virus can be deadly. The virus can create all sorts of problems for the host, such as inflammation, organ failure, and organ damage. The lungs can become so inflamed that it prevents oxygen from reaching the brain, killing the host. Typically, the flu isn’t strong enough to be able to do this, but in 1918, a mutation in the flu occurred that no one had experienced before. Three genes had mutated, making this variant a different virus for which people did not have treatments or vaccines. This variant was the main culprit of the Spanish flu and what was happening at the time. Influenza Origin The first influenza pandemic was in Asia around 1580. This was the earliest recorded case of an influenza pandemic. Many scientists hypothesize that influenza was acquired by people when the domestication of livestock started and was able to spread effectively because of the further rise of settlements and agriculture. Since people began to live closer to each other, influenza has

Influenza is believed to have started in the United States, more specifically Fort Riley in Kansas. Men who were drafted for World War 1 came to this camp to be trained to be sent to Europe to fight against the Central powers. Fort Riley was one of the locations that housed many draftees. On March 4, 1918, a soldier reported to the base hospital with flu-like symptoms and not long after this, over a hundred men came reporting the same symptoms. The virus did not stay on base and managed to arrive in Europe due to some soldiers carrying the virus on the way there where the virus thrived and spread on the ships and trenches that the soldiers were