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Famous Disasters: Famous Disasters:

The Influenza Epidemic of 1918 The Influenza Epidemic
Of 1918

Copyright © 2013 by Little Fox Co., Ltd.

All rights reserved.
 The Blue Death began calling the disease the Blue Death because victims’

I n late September of
1918, near the end of
skin often turned blue, an indication that death was near.
Meanwhile these soldiers at Camp Devens—some in the
World War I, a soldier was early stages of the illness, before it could be detected—were
brought to the hospital being shipped overseas to fight. On the battlefields of Europe
at Camp Devens outside and Asia, the Blue Death spread like wildfire, soon infecting
Boston, Massachusetts. the civilian population as well.
He was feverish and Nurses carrying a man on a stretcher A pandemic, or worldwide epidemic, had begun.
aching so badly that he screamed whenever he was touched.
In the days that followed, hundreds of more men poured into “In Flew Enza”
the hospital with similar symptoms. The highly contagious Most influenza
illness had swept through the large camp, almost a city pandemics start in
itself with over fifty thousand men. Soon the hospital didn’t Asia. But the 1918
have enough beds for the soldiers. Many stood outside in pandemic originated
the chilly air, often in the rain, waiting for treatment as in three countries—
they clutched blankets and grew weaker. In the month of the U nited S tates,
September alone, more than twelve thousand soldiers were France, and southern
The 1918 pandemic began in the United
reported as having the disease. States, France, and southern China. China—and spread in
Most of the sick soldiers at Camp Devens recovered. But waves from each of these places. Some experts think that
according to one of the doctors working there, approximately half of the world population was eventually infected. In the
a hundred men a day came down with pneumonia. Their United States about 600,000 people lost their lives. India
lungs filled with blood, which poured from their noses and was hit particularly hard, with some estimates of nearly
mouths, and they literally drowned to death. People soon twenty million deaths. Even remote areas were not immune;

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villages in the far reaches of Alaska were completely wiped Dangerous Misconceptions
out. One reason the epidemic caused so much illness and
The 1918 flu epidemic is also known as the Spanish death was that people did not understand how contagious
influenza. Spain was a politically neutral country during it was. It was wartime so people were traveling to different
World War I. This meant that Spanish newspapers were not countries and bringing the illness with them. And people with
censored, as they were in other countries. So Spain was the mild cases of the flu thought they just had colds so they went
first nation to report on the dangerous new flu attacking its to work or school, which helped the virus spread further. As
population. more people grew seriously ill, public health departments
The Spanish influenza epidemic was unusual in one reacted strongly, and fear turned into panic. Schools and
key way: most of the infected people were between twenty workplaces were closed, and public gatherings such as
and forty years of age. Children were frequent victims too. church services and parades were banned. Throughout the
Many kids got the disease world people wore gauze
themselves, or lost their masks to try to protect
parents from it. The illness themselves from infection.
struck so many households But the masks didn’t do
in the United States, a much to stop the disease
popular jump-rope rhyme from spreading. People Policemen in Seattle, Washington,
wearing masks to protect themselves
soon acquired chilling wearing them could still from influenza

new words: School children jumping rope breathe in small particles of the influenza virus.
I had a little bird Many people also relied on folk remedies to keep infection
And its name was Enza. away. They hung garlic from their necks, left windows wide
I opened the window open in winter, and even stuffed salt up their noses! Some
And in-flew-Enza. Americans used laxatives as a treatment for the flu, while

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others turned to addictive substances such as alcohol. few times each century, and they behave differently than
Public health officials did their best to try to manage the outbreaks of seasonal flu. Influenza pandemics involve a
crisis. But with neither a vaccine nor any reliable treatments, new strain of the flu virus, one to which people haven’t built
all they could do was focus on up any immunity. The new virus tends to strike harder, and
educating people about prevention. with worse symptoms. Vaccines are developed each year to
They printed posters, cartoons, and treat seasonal flu, but in the case of a pandemic, it can take
pamphlets that offered advice on longer to develop a vaccine. In the meantime many people
how to stay healthy. But even these can die. Two other pandemics,
government documents contained the Russian flu of 1889 and
misinformation. According to the Asian flu of 1957, together
one pamphlet, people could keep killed millions. The 1918
the flu away by chewing food Spanish influenza was by far the
carefully and making sure their A poster asking for everyone’s worst in recent history, killing
help in overcoming medical
shoes weren’t too tight! needs during World war I from twenty to fifty million
people worldwide. More people
What is Influenza? died from the Spanish flu than
About 600,000 Americans died
Influenza is a highly contagious disease caused by the from influenza in 1918. from fighting in World War I.
influenza virus. The symptoms of the flu—fever, body aches,
coughing—pass within two weeks, but if the virus infects the Flu Prevention
lungs, pneumonia can develop. While pneumonia is usually In the years since 1918, great strides have been made in
treatable, it can lead to death. understanding influenza. Scientists have developed vaccines
Seasonal flu viruses occur each year, usually during for the seasonal flu, and the public is better informed about
the winter. Influenza pandemics, however, occur only a how to cope with it. In 2009 a new pandemic—caused by

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the H1N1, or “swine flu,” virus—made its appearance, entertained others at the camp by putting on a musical play,
and researchers immediately rushed to educate people and C’est la guerre (That’s War), about life in the military. By
develop vaccines. Many people, especially children and then the worst of the crisis had passed at the camp, and the
young adults, were immunized by local health agencies. soldiers were trying to put the grim time behind them.
Despite predictions of a massive spread of H1N1, experts There is no guarantee that a pandemic as devastating as
announced in December 2009 that the pandemic had been the 1918 Spanish flu won’t
milder than expected. occur again. But with our
There are some simple things each person can do to advanced understanding of
prevent the flu: to begin with, get the seasonal flu vaccine. If the influenza virus, and our
you are in a risk group for the H1N1 virus, get that vaccine ability to quickly develop
too. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or Thanks to today’s scientific vaccines, we now hold many
knowledge, it is easier to prevent
an alcohol-based hand influenza. more tools for preventing it.
rub. Cover your nose
and mouth with a tissue
when you sneeze—and
then discard the tissue!
Avoid touching your
eyes, nose, and mouth,
Washing hands with soap and water can
as this can spread germs. prevent infections.

After the Crisis

Eventually life at Camp Devens in the United States
returned to normal. In January of 1919, some soldiers even

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Photo Credits

The photo of covers and page 7: © Liubirong/Dreamstime.com

The photo of page 4: Courtesy of National Archives (165-WW-

269B-25)

The photo of page 8: © Varga Sándor/Dreamstime.com