Frightening Lessons from the 1918 Pandemic and Why History May Repeat
COVID-19 has the advantages of simple math, human overconfidence and Mother Nature’s lack of empathy
On Aug. 27, 1918, two sailors at a pier in Boston came down with Spanish Flu. They were the first people in the United States to be stricken by the virus. Within a week, 100 sailors at the pier were falling victim each day. By September, one person was dying every 9 minutes in Boston. The flu spread across the country and by spring of 1919 had killed 675,000 Americans in a pandemic that left more than 50 million people dead around the world.
“In Boston, officials closed schools and tried to limit crowded gatherings to combat the spread of the disease,” according to the city’s historical archives. “Their efforts met with some success, but when World War I ended [on Nov. 11, 1918], crowds gathered to celebrate the armistice. Boston’s Health Department reported that cases of flu increased immediately after the celebration of the armistice.”
A century later, armed with far more scientific knowledge and ample time to plan, governments and health officials face a virulent disease that history may well liken to the Spanish Flu.
