Kylee Dyer

Dr. Cassel

Eng 1201-105

23 March 2020

Literature Review

The Spanish Flu impacted the global community through its mutations, virulence,

abnormal death tolls, relationship with WWI, limitations of the medical community, and the

lessons that still impact leadership communities worldwide. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918

was one of the deadliest pandemics in history. According to the Editors of History.com, a

resource often used in classrooms, “some estimates place the death toll as high as one-third of

the global population.”

As previously noted, the Spanish flu, and the second wave in particular had a far higher

mortality rate than normal in the healthiest population. The hardest hit age range was twenty-

five to thirty-four-year olds, which is a departure from the typical target ranges of birth to five-

year olds and over sixty-year olds. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "The Spanish

flu was abnormal in that it targeted the population that is usually at the lowest risk. Mortality at

higher rates than normal in the 20 - 40 year age group which is very unusual.” The CDC is the

reliable source when it comes to diseases. This strain caused the body’s immune system to attack

the lungs of the host so quickly that the resulting fluid buildup drowned victims from within.

“Perversely, those with stronger immune systems - young, healthy adults- were more likely to

succumb” (Spanish Flu - Toronto Star). Pandemics typically target the youngest and oldest and
those with weak immune systems, however the Spanish flu targeted the healthiest of the

population.

Diseases that individuals are exposed to during childhood create an occurrence known as

imprinting. This benefits individuals in their fight against similar diseases later in life as the body

has some memory of fighting something similar before. “When it comes to the flu, there is

increasing evidence that the body’s immune system responds best to the virus it first encounters

in childhood. The phenomenon is called imprinting. The less related a later virus is from the

one that caused that first infection, the less effective the immune response will be in fighting it.

Three decades before the 1918 Spanish flu, the world was hit by a pandemic caused by an H3N8

virus. That virus was likely to have shared no genes with the 1918 virus; furthermore, the

viruses in those two pandemics belong to different sides of the influenza virus family tree,

meaning that the antibodies generated by the H3 exposures wouldn’t even offer modest “cross-

protection” against the virus in the Spanish flu pandemic” (Branswell). Helen Branswell is a

reporter with a background in infectious diseases and global health. The website Statnews.com

is consistently written using scientifically backed information regarding medicine and health.

World War 1 facilitated the rapid spread of the Spanish flu. It spread along troop lines

and killed more soldiers than the actual fighting. “The flu- a novel type of H1N1 virus- was not

dependent on the conflict for its transmission, but it was likely given a boost by the war’s

peculiar conditions.” (Toronto Star). In fact, the flu spread using the military as its transport.

“Much of this mortality was initially in the military populations of the First World War, before

spreading to general civilian populations” (Military Vital Statistics).

Due to the methods of data collection, the lack of modern

technology, and a consensus on how to gather data globally, there is a

disparity on the total number of lives lost to the Spanish flu. “Some

estimate that 30 million died; others suggest that the figures are far

higher, at least 40 million or more.” (Great Flu Pandemic) This flu

was far more severe than had been seen previously, it attacked the

young and healthy and killed a far higher portion than normal. “An

estimated one third of the world's population (or ≈500 million

persons) were infected and had clinically apparent illnesses during

the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic. The disease was exceptionally

severe. Case-fatality rates were >2.5%, compared to <0.1% in other

influenza pandemics. Total deaths were estimated at ≈50 million and

were arguably as high as 100 million” (CDC article “1918 Influenza:

the Mother of All Pandemics),

Flus get their name from a variety of sources. While many think that the Spanish flu

originated in Spain, it’s origins are unknown and highly debated. “At this point, the influenza

was named ‘Spanish influenza,’ not because it had originated in that country but because Spain

did not censor the news from its borders, as did the countries actively involved in the war.”

(Great Flu Pandemic. Peer reviewed and in the Sinclair Library Database).

The Spanish flu was the first documented truly global pandemic, it reached across the

globe from the Alaskan tundra to the Australian outback and the deepest parts of the African

jungle. The Spanish flu was largely made global by World War I and the travel of soldiers

across the world. The initial presences in the military created opportunity for the strain to mutate

and strengthen before being introduced into the general population. The Spanish flu also taught

the medical community a lot about pandemics and how to cope with them. By the end of 1920,
it would be nearly impossible to find an individual who had not had their life impacted by the

Spanish flu.
Works Cited

Branswell, Helen. “A shot-in-the-dark email leads to a century-old family treasure — and

hope of cracking a deadly flu’s secret.” STAT. December 5, 2018.

https://www.statnews.com/2018/12/05/1918-spanish-flu-unraveling-mystery/.

Byerly, Carol R. “The U.S. military and the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.” Public

health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) vol. 125 Suppl 3,Suppl 3 (2010): 82-91.

DeNatale, Dave. “Looking back on the lessons of the Spanish Flu of 1918 as we figure

out how to combat coronavirus.”WKYC-TV. Mar 2020.

.https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/looking-back-on-lessons-of-

spanish-flu-of-1918-as-we-battle-coronavirus/95-0599ce1a-98a0-4ff4-831a-

6f4b7d4a1a28.

Henningfeld, Diane Andrews. “Great Flu Pandemic.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2019.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=ers&AN=89476521&site=eds-live.

History.com Editors. “Spanish Flu.” History.com. October 12, 2010.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic.

Juckett, Gregory. “Avian Influenza: Preparing for a Pandemic.” American Academy of

Family Physicians. Sept. 2006. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0901/p783.html.

LePan, Nicholas. “Infographic: The History of Pandemics.” Visual Capitalist. March

2020. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest/.

Molgaard, Craig A. “Military Vital Statistics The Spanish Flu and the First World War.”

Significance, no. 4, 2019, p. 32. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1740-9713.2019.01301.x.

 Taubenberger, Morens. “1918 Influenza: the Mother of All Pandemics.” Centers for

Disease Control. Jan 2006. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/1/05-0979_article.

Accessed 24 February 2020.

Toronto Star “Spanish Flu.” Toronto Star. 2 Aug. 2014. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=nfh&AN=6FPTS2014080229992019&site=ehost-live.

WedMD Medical Reference. “What Are Epidemics, Pandemics, and Outbreaks?”

WebMD. 2019. “https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/what-are-epidemics-pandemics-

outbreaks.

I ended up using far more sources than I had planned, but it all worked out in the end. I did

extensive research and preparation for this paper. While writing I only had to bring in two new

sources, one for the graph and another for the modern applications paragraph.