The Flu Epidemic
By: Taylor MacFarlane
Infected & Death
The infected is estimated to be around 500 million people worldwide, about one-third of the planet’s population at the time, and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million. More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic. Ages 20 to 40 were infected, this was unusual for influenza which is usually effects the elderly and children.The death rate for 15 to 34-year-olds of influenza and pneumonia were 20 times higher in 1918 than in previous years.
Funny Poem:
I had a little bird,
Its name was Enza.
I opened the window,
And in-flu-enza.
Billings, Molly. "The 1918 Influenza Pandemic." The 1918 Influenza Pandemic. N.p., Feb. 2005. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
History.com Staff. "1918 Flu Pandemic." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
First Observed & Vaccines
History.com Staff. "1918 Flu Pandemic." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
Phases of The Influenza
The plague happened in two phases. In the spring of 1918, the first phase, known as the "three-day fever," appeared without warning. Few deaths were reported, not much of a shocking fact most people recovered after a few days. When the disease surfaced again that fall, it was far more severe. Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so aggressively, and indirectly defied their control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others gave in after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death.
"The Influenza Epidemic of 1918." The Deadly Virus. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.