Facts about The spanish Flu
By Enrique Sifuentes
What is Spanish Flu?
The Spanish Flue was a highly contagious lethal virus that was first reported in march 1918 and quickly became a pandemic meaning an illness that spreads around the world. It was estimated that over 50 million people died of Spanish Flu almost 3 times more people that 17 million Soldiers and civilians killed during WW1. The cause of Spanish Flu pandemic started in March 1918 and ended over a year later in the summer of 1919. The cause of Spanish Flu was yet unknown at the time many believed it was the cause by the use of chemical Warfare and poison gas together with the fifth of the lice and rat infested trenches. The place the Spanish flu Started was yet unknown many believed that the virus came from France.
Why was the Spanish flu so deadly?
The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic was so deadly because there was no known cure at the time for the disease that spread so quickly and relentlessly. The Spanish got its name because Span was one of the first countries to be reported as being hit by the disease. The mortality rate among the infected was estimated at nearly 10%-500 million people were attacked by the deadly virus and 50 million died of the disease. Spanish Flu started as a normal cold but then developed extremely quickly and people sometimes died just a few hours they realized they had the illness. Spanish Flu was a respiratory virus by which lungs became became inflamed and filled with blood and other fluids. The 1918 Spanish Flu symptoms were described as like "symptoms were terrifying blood pouted from noses ears eyes sockets some victims lay in agony delirium took others away while living." There was no cure for the 1918 Spanish Flu. At this time there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat the deadly flu strain or to prevent its spread. There were no vaccines antivirals or antibiotics to treat or prevent infections. Ways to avoid the disease included needless crowding smoothing coughs and sneezes breathing the nose not the mouth cleanliness clean hands mouth skin clothes and breath fresh air. The WW1 contributed to the spread of the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic the global nature of WW1 meant more people than usual were traveling all over the world. WW1 soldiers also lived very closely together in the tranches and camps during the great war and this helped the influenza to spread more easily.