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The Mystery of the Flu Pandemic: What Really Happened in 1918?
The 1918 global influenza pandemic, known as the Spanish flu, became one of the worst public health crises in history, killing an estimated 50 to 100 million people. The rapid spread of the flu and the large number of deaths it caused still make people feel confused and uneasy.
The lethality and high infection rate of this flu epidemic have prompted people to think deeply about the origin of the virus and how it spreads.
Influenza, commonly known as influenza, is caused by an RNA virus called influenza virus. The main symptoms of influenza include fever, sore throat, muscle pain, etc., and it is especially deadly in young and old people. However, the 1918 flu pandemic was different from previous flus in that it took on a completely new and extremely deadly form.
Previously, influenza outbreaks were often linked to climate change or animal transmission. But the 1918 influenza pandemic was a striking exception, spreading not only rapidly but also causing mortality rates across age groups that seemed unexplained by the characteristics of normal influenza.
It is still not fully explained why the 1918 influenza pandemic took such a peculiar form, particularly its targeting of young people aged 20 to 40.
Historians and epidemiologists are poring over every detail of the 1918 flu, trying to figure out patterns in the epidemic. The Spanish flu virus was of the H1N1 subtype, and mutations in the virus are said to have allowed it to spread more efficiently between humans and animals. Initially, the virus was found in birds or pigs.
The 1918 pandemic was influenced by multiple factors, including sanitary conditions during World War I and the concentration of soldiers on battlefields. At the time, sick soldiers were forced to huddle together, where their health deteriorated and the spread of the virus quickly worsened overall public health.
A doctor described it as "death taking only a few hours. It was terrifying to see dozens of people dying like ants."
During this flu pandemic, society's panic and helplessness have also led to greater chaos. Many families were denied access to medical care, resulting in an incalculable number of deaths. Many of the dead bodies could not even be buried in time.
The wave-like nature of influenza also made the 1918 pandemic more difficult to respond to. From the initial outbreak to the subsequent relief, the influenza epidemic went through several waves, with the mortality rate significantly increasing in each wave, especially in the early stages of the first wave of infection.
One of the hallmarks of this pandemic has been its variability, with mortality rates alarming millions, especially among the most vulnerable in society.
Influenza viruses are constantly changing and evolving, which means that even a relatively small number of infected people can develop new mutations that can trigger new epidemics. In addition, contact with animals, migration of wild birds and globalization have changed the way the virus is transmitted, contributing to the spread of the epidemic.
The spread of influenza is also affected by social behavior. In 1918, the lack of trust in the social environment led people to question and distrust official information, which seriously affected society's ability to resist the epidemic.
Research on influenza vaccines has also advanced, but its rapid mutation often makes the effectiveness of the vaccine greatly reduced. The pandemic has had an increasingly widespread social impact. It is not only a health crisis, but also a test of social structure and confidence.
Faced with the lessons of history, we cannot help but ask: In today's society, which should be preparing for future influenza pandemics, what preparations have we made?
