How Did The Influenza Change The World

Words: 464
Pages: 2

The influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, had an enormous impact on people all over the world. The influenza transformed the way everyone saw the world, and dramatically caused people to value their life. The deaths of several people during such a short amount of time traumatized, and emotionally changed everyone’s life. A tragedy like this changed the way everyone viewed the world, and the value of life itself. This disease was not only harmful to the people, but to our entire nation.
The influenza was a disease caused by numerous mutating viral strains. The influenza, also known as the Spanish flu, was different from the seasonal flu on various frightening levels. The influenza was a virus in pigs. “Subsequent research indicates that descendants of the 1918 virus still persists enzootically in pigs. They probably also circulated continuously in humans, undergoing gradual antigenic drift and causing annual epidemics, until the 1950s.” The
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There was a significant increase in death rates among people ages 20 to 40, and lowered the life expectancy nearly more than 10 years during, and after this epidemic. “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.” The influenza occurred during the same time as World War I, which was worse than anyone could imagine. Though it is tough to believe, the great influenza killed more people than the war itself. Personally, I could not imagine being alive during this time. Sitting at home hoping that a loved one would come back safe from war, yet suddenly have to worry whether or not the influenza virus had affected him or her. The loss of so many towns’ people was so