The Spanish Flu Was Deadlier Than WWI | History

Summary

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

Outlines

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

Mindmap

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

Keywords

💡Flu Shot

A flu shot is an injection that contains inactivated flu viruses or a recombinant or subunit flu vaccine that helps protect against influenza. In the context of the video, it's mentioned that in 2017, more than 37% of adults in the U.S. received a flu shot, highlighting the importance of vaccination in preventing the spread of the flu. The video contrasts this with the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, where no such vaccine existed, leading to a devastating global impact.

💡Spanish Flu

The Spanish Flu was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic that occurred in 1918, causing the death of at least 50 million people worldwide. The name 'Spanish Flu' is somewhat misleading as it did not originate in Spain, but the country was one of the few to openly report on the disease due to not being involved in World War I, which led to the misconception. The video emphasizes the severity of the Spanish Flu and how it became the second deadliest plague in history.

💡World War I

World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global war that lasted from 1914 to 1918. The video script mentions that the Spanish Flu broke out during this time, and the war played a significant role in the spread of the flu due to the movement of soldiers and the conditions of warfare, which facilitated the rapid transmission of the virus.

💡Influenza

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. The video discusses how the 1918 flu was particularly severe, with symptoms that were much worse than typical flu cases, leading to a high mortality rate. The term is central to understanding the video's theme of the devastating effects of the Spanish Flu.

💡Vaccine

A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular disease. The video explains that the Spanish Flu outbreak spurred the development of a vaccine against influenza. The first flu vaccine was developed in 1938, and its creation is a direct result of the lessons learned from the devastating impact of the Spanish Flu.

💡Pandemic

A pandemic is an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population. The video uses the term 'pandemic' to describe the global spread and impact of the Spanish Flu, emphasizing the scale of the disaster and the lack of preparedness at the time.

💡Sedition Act of 1918

The Sedition Act of 1918 was a United States federal law that made a range of statements against the government illegal, including any that could be considered disloyal or abusive. The video mentions that some people in the U.S. were afraid that reporting the flu might violate this act, which contributed to the underreporting of flu cases during the Spanish Flu pandemic.

💡Respiratory Disease

Respiratory diseases are illnesses that affect the respiratory system, which includes the lungs, airways, and other parts that help with breathing. The video discusses the possibility that the Spanish Flu may have originated from a respiratory disease outbreak in Shanxi Province, China, or at Camp Funston, highlighting the difficulty in pinpointing the exact origin of the virus.

💡Life Expectancy

Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth. The video notes that the prevalence of the Spanish Flu and World War I caused life expectancy in the U.S. to drop by 12 years, illustrating the profound impact of the pandemic on society.

💡Public Health

Public health is the science and practice of preventing disease, prolonging life, and improving the quality of life through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities, and individuals. The video discusses how public health officials at the time of the Spanish Flu pandemic were ill-equipped to handle the crisis, leading to misinformation and ineffective prevention measures.

💡Antiviral

Antiviral drugs are medications used to treat infections caused by viruses. The video points out that during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, there were no antiviral drugs available to treat the disease, which contributed to the high mortality rate. This lack of treatment options underscores the medical limitations of the time.

Highlights

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

Transcripts

NARRATOR: In 2017, more than 37% of adults in the U.S.

got a flu shot.

Roughly 80,000 died from the virus in the US.

But in 1918, there was no flu shot,

and at least 50 million people died around the world.

That flu was known as the Spanish Flu,

and it is the second deadliest plague in history,

after, well, "the" Plague in the 1300s.

So how exactly did a flu virus cause

such massive death and destruction across the world?

Well it helps to pinpoint where it started, except we

can't, not with 100% certainty.

It could have been the disease stricken trenches of World War

I. Or maybe the Shanxi Province of China, where

the outbreak of a respiratory disease in 1917

may have actually been the flu virus.

Or maybe even Camp Funston, a military base in Kansas

where 48 soldiers died of flu-like symptoms

right before an outbreak.

What we do know for sure is that the Spanish

Flu didn't start in Spain.

So then why is it called the Spanish Flu?

Well, the flu broke out during World War I. Neither the allied

nor central powers wanted to admit to additional loss

of life during a conflict that hinged on who had more

manpower, so all the nations involved in the war

limited reports of the outbreak.

In the US, some people were even afraid that reporting the flu

might violate the "Sedition Act of 1918,"

a law that prohibited disloyal language

about the government and any action

against the prosecution of the war.

But Spain wasn't in World War I. And since they

had no reason to hide anything, they reported

their flu-related deaths.

Even the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII got the disease,

but ultimately survived.

So with the spotlight on Spain, US and European news outlets

nicknamed it the Spanish Flu.

But the flu was spreading well outside of Spain.

And with a large scale of infections going unreported,

no one was prepared for the deadly pandemic

it would become.

Today, we know the flu is a highly contagious

viral infection that spreads to the nose, throat,

and sometimes the lungs.

Symptoms, such as fever, nausea, aches, and a sore throat,

are all standard.

It's a terrible possibly fatal disease that confines

the afflicted to bed for days.

But the 1918 Flu was worse.

Dark spots would appear on the body

before the skin turned blue from a lack of oxygen

in their blood.

And patients would bleed from their noses and ears,

as they suffocated on their own blood and fluids.

In 1918, at Camp Funston, US army doctor Roy Grist

remarked, "It is only a matter of a few hours

then until death comes, and it is simply a struggle for air

until they suffocate.

It is horrible."

The outbreak at Camp Funston affected more than 1,000

soldiers and killed 47.

But those 1,000 were part of 1 million

soldiers throughout Kansas who were all

in contact with one another.

Those soldiers were then sent overseas in the spring of 1918,

carrying flu microbes that would spread faster than the war

itself.

In the fall of that same year, a second wave of flu cases

started spreading across the US, hitting both

military and civilian centers.

Doctors had never before seen such a deadly strain

of influenza.

To make matters worse, knowledge of viruses at the time

was limited, since microscopes of the day

were not powerful enough to see them.

People began blaming the Germans,

claiming they were spreading poison clouds

or that Bayer, which was a German owned company,

had infected their aspirin.

As the flu spread in America, even public health officials

began to lie about the state of things,

like Philadelphia's public health director Wilmer Krusen,

who, in September of 1918, declared, "no concern whatever

is felt," after a Navy ship from Boston

arrived with infected passengers.

The next day, two sailors died.

The day after that, 14.

There was little to be done to stop the spread of the virus.

Doctors had no way to create a vaccine, antiviral drugs,

or even antibiotics for secondary infections,

like pneumonia.

Instead, most prevention efforts focused

on quarantine and personal hygiene.

Schools, churches, and other public gathering spaces

were shut down in many cities.

In San Francisco, they went so far as

to fine people $5 who didn't wear protective masks,

dubbing them "mask slackers."

And in the end, after only one year,

the death toll was catastrophic.

To put things in perspective, more than 16 million people

died in World War I. The Spanish Flu killed

at least 50 million people.

And some believe the number may be closer to 100 million.

In the US alone, 675,000 people will die from the flu.

That's more American deaths than American soldiers

who died in World War I. It's more

than all the deaths of American soldiers

in the 20th century combined.

And in October of 1918, 195,000 Americans

died, making it the deadliest month in US history.

Death was so prevalent between the war and flu

that life expectancy in the US dropped by 12 years.

Even Woodrow Wilson was affected by the Spanish Flu,

having collapsed during the Versaille Peace Conference

with flu-like symptoms.

The outbreak of Spanish Flu is what spurred the development

of a vaccine, although scientists didn't even

isolate the influenza virus for study

until 1933, 15 years later.

The first flu vaccine was developed in 1938

and was later given to US soldiers in World War II.

After the war, it was finally used

to treat the American public.

[music playing]