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Famous Flu Epidemics

Several major influenza pandemics occurred during the 20th century, causing panic in the wake of widespread sickness and millions of deaths around the world. The earlier part of the century was ravaged by the effects of the flu but as time passed researchers learned more about how the flu was spread. Advances in medical knowledge and technology made it possible to lessen the impact of the deadly viruses.

  1. The Spanish Flu of 1918

    • The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 killed between 20 and 40 million people. According to the Human Virology at Stanford website, this pandemic killed more people in one year than the Black Death that started in 1347 killed in four years. The Spanish flu was unusual because it mainly affected people between the ages of 15 and 34. The disease struck suddenly. Healthy people fell ill during the daytime and often died before the next morning. The Stanford website states that a great deal of speculation ensued regarding the source of the disease. World War I was raging, and many people suspected that the Germans had engineered the flu as a tool for biological warfare. No one really knows where the disease started, but the overseas movement of troops made it easy for the flu to spread quickly from one nation to another. It was called the "Spanish Flu" because most of the early illnesses and deaths occurred in that country.

    1957 Asian Flu Pandemic

    • The Asian Flu Pandemic was not as severe as the Spanish flu but it still killed about two million people worldwide. According to the Global Security website, the flu was caused by the H2N2 virus. Advances in medical technology made it possible to quickly identify the type of virus, so scientists quickly engineered a vaccine. Limited amounts were available by August of 1957. The Asian flu infection rates were highest among schoolchildren, young adults and pregnant women. Children passed the virus from one child to another in the classroom. Although more children and young people contracted the flu, the elderly had the highest flu-related mortality rates.

    Hong Kong Flu of 1968

    • The Hong Kong flu was caused by the H3N2 virus. This disease was milder than either the Spanish flu or the 1957 Asian flu. It killed approximately a million people, 34,000 of which were in the United States. The disease originated in Hong Kong. According to the Global Security website, it spread over a period of two winters. The earliest cases were diagnosed in the United States in 1968, but people did not begin to die until later that same year. This flu was milder for several reasons. First, it peaked in December when most children were at home for the winter holidays, so the disease did not spread through the schools. Second, improvements in medical care made antibiotics available to treat the secondary bacterial infections that often accompanied the flu virus. Finally, some people still carried an immunity from the 1957 virus.

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