Why the Spanish Flu was so Devastating

by Mimi de Trafford

As the world focuses its attention to the new Coronavirus, it is interesting to revisit the Spanish Flu of 1918. When the Spanish Flu first began to spread, the world was consumed by the First World War, and so the passing from person to person of the virus went virtually unnoticed. As it took hold governments chose not to report it to prevent it impacting the war efforts and morale.

The exception to this was Spain, as a neutral country in the War, when the flu virus reached the country news outlets immediately began reporting the numbers infected. This meant that although Spain was not the epicenter of the outbreak, or even the country most affected with approximately 240,000 deaths (although it did have some high profile victims, most significantly King Alfonso XIII contracted the disease) it was tarnished with the label and the blame.

In the rest of the world  the flu spread quickly, hitting in 3 waves of differing severity. By the end of the pandemic officials estimated that between 50 and 100 million people from all across the world were killed - ranging from 675,000 in the USA to 17 million in India and even reaching as far as remote villages in Alaska. 

The most unusual thing about the Spanish Flu was its ability to mutate rapidly and attack healthy immune systems. This meant that, unlike traditional viruses which predominantly infect the elderly and the young in a “U” shaped population curve, the Spanish Flu infected those aged between 20 and 40, in a “W” shaped population curve, which had a huge effect on workforce as well as leading to a bigger effect on future generations. 

A further complication was that due to the war doctors were running in a very low supply, and those left behind were dealing with overflowing hospitals, full of victims suffering from diseases that were barely understood.

Although there are many theories for where the Spanish Flu began, the largest modern consensus is that it was carried from China by the Chinese Labour Corps workers who passed through Canada and the USA on the way to Europe to help in the war.  However, this is only one theory amongst many, and as with all elements of the flu it is surrounded by uncertainty. Scientists today are still trying to find all of the answers for a virus that was able to infect ⅓ of the global population.