Deadliest Flu Pandemic: The Spanish Flu of 1918 - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Spanish flu pandemic of the year 1918 can be termed as of the deadliest in history, having infected more than 500 million people worldwide ("Spanish Flu," 2018). The pandemic killed an estimated figure of between 20 million to 50 million, including about 675,000 Americans ("Deadly plague of 1918," 2018). The flu was initially observed in Europe, America, and parts of Asia before spreading fast to the other parts of the world. Similar to a majority of flu transmission happens when an infected person coughs, sneeze, or talks, releasing airborne respiratory droplets and, when inhaled, infects another person ("Spanish Flu," 2018). When such droplets rest on a surface, and an individual touch it, and then touch their mouth, nose, or eyes may make them infected. Influenza would kill a majority of people aged between 20 years and 40 years ("Spanish Flu," 2018). This paper will analyze some of the responses to the 1918 pandemic and the lesson that can be learned.

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In one of the ships, soldiers were segregated into small crowded compartments but would later share the same mess hall and use the same benches. The cases dramatically increased because they would breathe the same air, sit on the same contaminated benches and walk on a surface with blood droplets ("Deadly plague of 1918," 2018). This shows that such a response was deficient and would expose more people to virus. Thus, while dealing with the current pandemic, COVID-19, individuals should avoid crowded spaces and touching or leaning on non-fumigated surfaces. In cases where such is unavoidable, individuals should thoroughly clean their hands before touching any part of their faces.

In states like Philadelphia, the government ignored the call of the medical professionals which led to one of the most devastating effects by the time the first wave was over. However, states like San Francisco listened to their medical practitioners and was not affected as much ("Deadly plague of 1918," 2018). The states which managed to record an almost negligible amount of cases responded by restricting public gathering, mandatory face mask, and quarantining the infected persons. From this, it can be learned that it is critical to listen to professionals to avoid such disasters. Additionally, it can be learned that prevention is better than cure since, by the time Philadelphia started responding, the state was in such a bad shape that any effort did not being the cases down.

Conclusion

Despite the lack of the exact data on how the virus spread and how many people were affected, influenza impacted negatively on so many individuals. Most of the children were orphaned, while other people were left in poverty and depression. As such, it is critical for both the government and the citizens to heed to the call of medical practitioners and strictly follow and or enforces all the proposed safety measures to avoid the spread of any flu. If the government and the citizenry had learned from the 1918 San Francisco response, COVID-19 could not have affected or killed the numbers the United States and the world in general is currently experiencing.

References

Spanish flu: a warning from history. (2018). [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x1aLAw_xkY&feature=youtu.be

1918 Spanish Flu historical documentary | Swine Flu Pandemic | Deadly plague of 1918. (2018). [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDY5COg2P2c&feature=youtu.be