Males in the 3034 age group were the worst affected and at the time people noticed that strong and healthy men rather than chesty or weedy types were more susceptible. Influenza pandemic of 191819, the most severe influenza outbreak of the 20th century and among the most devastating pandemics in human history. The following lists events that happened during 1918 in new zealand the jubilation over the end of world war i was overshadowed by the spanish flu pandemic reaching new zealand. By the end of december the death toll had reached 7,500. Influenza, most commonly called the flu is a disease that is caused by a virus, which affects the upper and lower respiratory tract in 1918 an influenza pandemic killed 30 to 40 million people worldwide, including more that 8600 new zealanders. The deadly history of the 1918 influenza pandemic joanne black. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. In 1918 new zealand lost around 9,000 people to the deadly influenza pandemic that swept the globe at the end of the first world war. Yet such things happened all over new zealand in november 1918 when the country was swept by the socalled spanish influenza pandemic. The estimated total global death toll was 50100 million. Nearly a quarter of the victims were maori, who died at seven times the death rate of european new zealanders. To maintain morale, world war i censors minimized early reports of illness and mortality. The second wave of the 1918 influenza pandemic struck with a fury in august. An influenza pandemic worldwide epidemic struck new zealand.
The 1918 influenza pandemic in new zealand hardcover november 1, 2005. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the deadliest pandemic in recent history. Whether new zealand gets an epidemic this time remains to be seen, but in 1918, the body count left no doubt. Ive been reading a great book about a horrific pandemic that gripped the world more than a century ago, john m. The spanish flu has been described by the author laura spinney as the greatest tidal wave of death since the black death, perhaps in the whole of human history. More men than women died in the 1918 influenza pandemic in new zealand. The first new zealanders affected by the second wave of the 1918 influenza pandemic were soldiers of the 40th reinforcement on board the troopship tahiti. Although a number of pandemics have occurred in previous decades, the most deadly was the spanish flu pandemic of 1918 1919. The 1918 influenza epidemic in new zealand not exactly holiday reading, but gripping research into what he calls the worst public health crisis new zealand has ever seen.
History of 1918 flu pandemic pandemic influenza flu cdc. Documentation of the disease is ample, as shown in the records selected from the holdings of the national archives regional archives. Simultaneous outbreaks were reported in camp devins, massachusetts, near boston, france, and sierra leone. No other event has killed so many new zealanders in so short a space of time. Immediately following the 1918 influenza pandemic many researchers speculated on the origin of the disease. It took four years for the first world war to kill 18,000 new zealand soldiers. Centenary of the 1918 flu pandemic new zealand parliament. America relearning the lessons of the 1918 spanish flu. Kirsty johnston spoke to historian geoffrey rice, author of the book black november. Lasting from january 1918 to december 1920, it infected 500 million people about a third of the worlds population at the time.
Lessons learned from the 1918 flu pandemic nz herald. Lessons learned from that crisis remain the bedrock of our pandemic response today. Then, india had the largest number of deaths in any single country 1020 million as well as highest percentage of excess deaths 4. New zealands worst disease disaster to date is the influenza pandemic of november 1918, which killed more than 50 million people worldwide, and 9,000 in new zealand. New zealand eyewitnesses of the 1918 influenza pandemic maurice ocallaghan, st john ambulance volunteer. Pandemic 1918 does something i cant recall seeing in any other book on the subject it deals with the global impact of this event, not just its effect on the us and europe, which makes one realize the true scope of the horror and be even more petrified by it, something i didnt think was possible.
His recently published paperback, black flu 1918 canterbury university press, is the condensed version of an earlier book, black november. In this 1918 file photo made available by the library of congress, volunteer nurses from the american red cross tend to influenza patients in the oakland municipal auditorium, used as a. Health reporter mike houlahan looks at how otago and southland coped with a disease which killed about people in just a few weeks. Why is a 102yearold influenza pandemic on peoples minds. In 1918, the great influenza pandemic killed 9000 new zealanders in the. But death did not occur evenly among either maori or pakeha. Although in 1918 influenza was not a nationally reportable disease and diagnostic criteria for influenza and pneumonia were vague, death rates from influenza and pneumonia in the united states had risen sharply in 1915 and 1916 because of a major respiratory disease epidemic beginning in december 1915 22. In the united states, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. Seattle, washington and the 19181919 influenza epidemic.
Yet in just six weeks, from early november to middecember 1918, at least 9000 new zealand civilians and soldiers died from influenza and pneumonia in the socalled spanish flu pandemic. Under the shadow of the great war raging in europe, the city was illequipped to counter a major health crisis. Auckland certainly had the first of the flu pandemic in new zealand, but not the worst of it. The outbreak was caused by influenza type a subtype h1n1 virus. The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 19181919. It was caused by an h1n1 virus with genes of avian origin. More people died of influenza in a single year than in fouryears of the black death bubonic plague from 47 to. Life and death in the great 1918 influenza pandemic the day. Epidemics new zealand national library of new zealand. In the late summer and autumn of 1918, the population of vermont was ravaged by the pandemic of spanish influenza that struck nationwide and worldwide. Nga korero a ipurangi o aotearoa, and from the books listed below. Pandemic and panic visited charleston in the autumn of 1918 when the spanish influenza spread throughout the community in a wave of acute sickness and death.
The year 2018 marks the centenary of the 1918 influenza pandemic. First published in 1988, black november now has three new chapters to bring it up to date, over fifty firsthand. It is an oddity of history that the influenza epidemic of 1918 has been overlooked in the teaching of american history. In all, the official total of deaths from the 1918 influenza epidemic including new zealand troops overseas was 8,573 from a population of 1,150,509. The epidemic affected the course of history and was a terrifying presence at the end of world war i, killing more americans in a single year than died in battle in world war i. While the first world war claimed the lives of more than 18,000 new zealand soldiers over a fouryear period, the second wave of the 1918 influenza epidemic killed about 9000 people in less than two months. Refers to seminal books of the event by canterbury historian dr geoffrey rice, black november and black flu 1918. Arcari and hudson birden of the university of connecticut health center, and the book american pandemic. The 1918 influenza pandemic in new zealand rice, geoffrey on.
The influenza era, 1890s to 1920s te ara encyclopedia of. Coronavirus to transform world more than 1918 flu pandemic. A 100 years ago today a death ship from nz arrived in. Prof nick wilson, prof michael baker, dr jennifer summers, dr matt boyd, dr ramona tiatia.
Jeremy brown and catharine arnold document how the flu killed 50100 million patients in an emergency hospital in camp funston, kansas, during. This single ship spread the influenza pandemic from nz to western samoa, tonga, and fiji. Today is the 100 th anniversary of the arrival of the ss talune in western samoa. Otago university researcher robert g websters book on influenza was published in december. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. Life and death in the great 1918 influenza pandemic. The influenza pandemic of 1918 1919 killed more people than the great war, known today as world war i wwi, at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. This book details new zealand s worst public health crisis, and its worst natural disaster. Most deaths occurred in a short period between october and december 1918. The spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu pandemic, was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic.
Learn about the origins, spread, and impact of the influenza pandemic. In contrast to typical seasonal flu, the 1918 influenza strain that reappeared in august was exceptionally virulent and often lethal, especially among young adults. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918 1919. In wellington where there was twice the death rate of christchurch, the. Coming at the end of world war i, it took a heavy toll on home close search open search. Misconceptions about it may be fueling unfounded fears about covid19, and now is an especially. Sometimes referred to as the spanish flu, it was was an unusually deadly influenza strain caused by. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history.
This book details new zealands worst public health crisis, and its worst natural disaster. Ive always been fascinated by the 1918 influenza pandemic, mostly because im terrified of it. The 1918 influenza pandemic in new zealand, about what 1918 can teach us in the age of coronavirus. In 1918, the great influenza pandemic killed 9000 new zealanders in the space of just two months. On 22 august their convoy which had called at cape town, south africa, en route to plymouth, england refuelled at freetown, sierra leone. In four months, it is estimated that over 8600 new zealanders died of the disease and between one third and one half of the population were infected. The influenza epidemic became new zealands forgotten disaster, as people tried to. With some advance warning, preparation and organisation, christchurch came off better than auckland and wellington 4. Why were maori so much more at risk of death in the 1918 flu. The forgotten agony the spanish flu pandemic of 191819. A pandemics terrible toll otago daily times online news. Male and female death rates from influenza in 1918. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Remembering the 1918 influenza pandemic new zealand medical. While the first world war claimed the lives of more than 18,000 new zealand soldiers over four years, the second wave of the 1918 influenza epidemic killed about 9000 people in less than two months. The flu kept doing the rounds until early 1919, by which time some 8,500 had died. The 1918 flu pandemic the 1918 influenza pandemic nzhistory. Extracts from geoffrey rices forthcoming book, that terrible time. All libraries closed from 22 march due to covid19 novel coronavirus. The disease, which attacked the lungs, caused high fever, delirium, excruciating pains in the back and limbs, and nausea, swept across the stat.
As a terrifyingly lethal influenza virus swept across the globe between 1918 and 1920, historys deadliest pandemic. World war 1 came to an end in 1918, but joy was shortlived in new zealand as a deadly influenza pandemic swept the country. No other recorded influenza pandemic has been so deadly and nobody knows why it was so lethal. New zealand mortality rates in the 1918 influenza pandemic. How america struggled to bury its dead during the 1918 flu pandemic. Coming at the end of world war i, it took a heavy toll on an already stressed population. Even though the first cases were diagnosed in the united states in march 1918, it was spain that was the first to report flu deaths in its. In only two months, about 9,000 new zealanders died about half as many as in the. This was only a few short of the new zealand total, and represented over a quarter of western samoas population of 32,815the highest national death rate in the world from the 1918 influenza pandemic. One of the big differences between coronavirus and 1918 is that 1918 targeted otherwise healthy young adults, says john barry, the author of the 2004 book the great influenza.
In flu she does a fine job of reporting on the great influenza pandemic of 1918 19, and on the search for the virus that caused twenty to a hundred million deaths. Read on to discover what lessons and perspective denvers response to past flu outbreaks can provide in 2020. New zealand families in the 1918 influenza pandemic professor geoffrey w. The lethal influenza pandemic that struck new zealand between october and december 1918. Tuttle says that influenza is bound to come to the seattle area in the near future, and asks everyone to avoid crowds, to use a handkerchief when coughing and sneezing, to rest at the first sign of. As many influenza a strains were known to arise in the orient it was first thought that the virulent 1918 form had also began in the east. In new zealand, 8,573 deaths were attributed to the 1918 pandemic influenza, resulting in a total population fatality rate of 0. Consider the influenza pandemic of 1918, often referred to erroneously as the spanish flu. No event has killed so many new zealanders in such a short time. Historical documentary about 1918 swine flu or spanish flu and the role of world war i in spreading the disease among troops making it into a worldwide plague of devastating proportions. Most countries had more even rates and a slight preponderance of female deaths.