The Spanish Flu
of 1918-1919

The first pandemic of the 20th century is widely regarded as the deadliest disease in human history. Death estimates worldwide range from 20 million to more than 100 million. The following are some of the characteristics of the 1918 flu outbreak:

• Outbreaks occurred simultaneously in Europe and several states in the United States.

• The pandemic broke in two waves. The first, in the spring and summer of 1918, was highly contagious, but did not cause many deaths. The second wave crashed across the world with remarkable speed and lethality. The death rate was 10 times greater in the second wave than the first.

• The flu infected about 25-30% of the world’s population, striking every continent. One of the Spanish Flu’s most troubling aspects was that most deaths occurred in people in “the prime of life,” between 15 and 35 years old.

• Concern about the H5N1 avian virus currently circulating in Asia and Europe were heightened after scientists reported in 2005 that genetic detective work had traced the 1918 influenza to an avian flu virus.