What Was the Spanish Flu Epidemic?

The 1918-19 influenza pandemic or Spanish Flu caused from 50 to 100 million deaths and infected an estimated 1/5 of the world's population. Unlike other flu outbreaks that typically affect the very young and the old, the victims were mostly young adults in the age group of 20 to 40 years old.

Why "Spanish Flu"?

• The 1918 influenza came to be popularly known as "Spanish Flu" although it did not originate in Spain. The first instances of the disease were reported in the U.S. and the rest of Europe before it reached Spain. But Spain was the only country that did not censor news of the outbreak and it was widely published in Spanish newspapers, thus the name.

History

• The pandemic occurred in three distinct waves. The first outbreak was reported towards the end of WWI and was relatively mild. The following two outbreaks in late 1918 and early 1919 saw the flu rapidly worsening and causing fatalities.

Geography

• The 1918 influenza pandemic was not geographically contained to any one specific region of the world.

Symptoms

• Spanish Flu's initial symptoms were like typical flu symptoms of cold, sore throat and fever, but they quickly worsened, with fluid in the lungs, extreme chills, incessant coughing, fatigue and, in many cases, bacterial pneumonia.

Cause

• The cause or origin of the Spanish Flu still remains unknown.