The influenza or flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, the deadliest in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide–about one-third of the planet’s population at the time–and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims.
More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. Surprisingly, many flu victims were young, otherwise healthy adults. At the time, there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain or prevent its spread.
In the U.S., citizens were ordered to wear masks, and schools, theaters and other public places were shuttered. Researchers later discovered what made the 1918 pandemic so deadly: In many victims, the influenza virus had invaded their lungs and caused pneumonia.
credit: http://www.history.com/topics/1918-flu-pandemic
Watch this video on the Flu pandemic of 1918
I usually get the flu shot but i get sick from it now. my dad gets it every year
ReplyDeleteWhy is only 40% of people take to flu shot and 60% don't? Is the 60% busy, does not like shots, or is allergenic to the ingredients? For people who do not like shots there is the Flu Mist, a vaccine that goes in your nose.
ReplyDeleteMy family doesn't get shots every year because sometimes getting shots can be hazardous to your health, and because the scientists don't actually know what flu will be going around that current year, it could be totally un-beneficial. That's just why we don't get them, among other things.
DeleteMy family does not get the flu shot either.
DeleteMy family doesn't either and I've only had the flu once when I was really little! I almost never get sick
Deletemy family doesn't either. :P I forget the reason why, but I know it's a good reason.
Deletemy family doesn't get flu shots because what a flu shot is injecting a dead flu virus into your body and when we did get flu shots we got the flu but when we stopped getting them, haven't had the flu since and plus none of us like needles:p
DeleteSame. Flu shots (like Jacob said) can be very hazardous. We never get shots.
DeleteThat's really surprising that people over the age of 65 are more likely to die from the flu. 30,000 to 40,000 Americans die every year from the flu. If you want to to decrease your chances of getting sick, take the flu shot and it will increase your chances of not getting sick to 60%!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how many people still die each year from the flu. It was interesting how big of a deal it still is. Nowadays, I thought people got flu for a week and then didn't get it again. People are still dying from it, and it's a lot more of a serious deal than I thought.
ReplyDeletei personally dont get my shots... but this was kind of scary. i didnt realize how many people it wiped out. although, no one knows the true side effects of shots until way down the road. to each its own!
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with the Cinderella jump roping song? Well, this is what children in 1918 sang while they jumped.
ReplyDeleteI had a little bird,
Its name was Enza.
I opened my window,
And in-flu-enza.
Oh gosh thats funny! I like it. Very clever
Deletethat's really awesome!
DeleteMy family doesn't get flu shots and I don't really know why but we don't get sick! I hope we don't have another worldwide thing like that.
ReplyDeleteMe too. It gave me the chills when the video said we were overdue for another worldwide pandemic.
DeleteThat's interesting because if the video was made before 2014, they were right because of the Ebola outbreak in 2014.
DeleteI have never gotten a flu shot and never had the flu. But the video did suprises me. I thought at least 60% of people got the flu shot, and I had no idea how many people died from it. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was scary how many people were hospitalized just because of the flu! I don't know if I've ever had the flu before, or anything other than a minor fever. My family and I don't do any kind of vaccines, well, not that I know of. And the longest time I've been sick is about two weeks over Christmas break.
ReplyDeletei think its surprising that most everyone wore masks all day to avoid getting the flu
ReplyDeleteIt surprised me that a lot of you guys don't get the flu shot... In AL absolutely EVERYONE got the shot. I do not think I have ever not gotten the flu shot or skipped a year of it. And I thought it was weird that the Spanish Flu originated in Kansas but is still called Spanish because of all the deaths from it there.
ReplyDeleteThe video didn't work for me. :( Every time I clicked play it would just refresh the page.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, world wide diseases/sickness are really scary... -.-
It's so sad that so many people died. :'(
I found it interesting how many people died from the flu, and how many Americans.
ReplyDelete