Although the world has faced several major pandemics over the last 100 years, one of the worst was the 1918 influenza pandemic.
The Spanish flu of 1918 had a lot in common with the coronavirus in 2020. It infected millions around the globe,it spread easily through the air through coughs and sneezes.But the real similarities between these two pandemics is in how American government responded.
The Spanish flu was first identified in the U.S. in military personnel in the spring of 1918.It was caused by an H1N1 virus that originated in birds，the so-called Spanish flu.It was dubbed the Spanish flu because it was thought at the time to have originated in Spain. Research published in 2005 suggest it actually originated in New York due to evidence of a pre-pandemic wave of the virus in that city. It was named Spanish flu because Spain was neutral in World War I (1914-1918), meaning it could report on the severity of the pandemic, but countries fighting the war were suppressing reports on how the disease affected their populations.
The outbreak in the United States clearly began in March 1918 in Kansas, and from there it spread to Europe thanks in large measure to the flow of U.S. troops to France....
The pandemic is conventionally marked as having begun on 4 March 1918, with the recording of the case of Albert Gitchell, an army cook at Camp Funston in Kansas, United States.Within days, 522 men at the camp had reported sick.By 11 March 1918, the virus had reached Queens, New York.Failure to take preventive measures in March/April was later criticised.
As the US had entered World War I, the disease quickly spread from Camp Funston, a major training ground for troops of the American Expeditionary Forces, to other US Army camps and Europe.It then quickly spread to the rest of France, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain,
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.Mr Trump has downplayed the severity of the problem as cases surge around the country.
More than 20,000 American service members have contracted the coronavirus, and the infection rate in the services has tripled as the United States military has emerged as a potential source of transmission both domestically and abroad, according to military and local public health officials.
Cases are rising the most on military bases in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas, states that have all seen surges in confirmed infections. At a base in Okinawa, Japan, the U.S. Marine Corps has reported nearly 100 cases, enraging local officials. And in war zones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, already awash with unreported cases, U.S. troops have contended with outbreaks within their ranks.
As the nation that projects military power in dozens of countries all over the world — some of which are banning American travelers — the United States has many opportunities to export an unchecked virus, as well as possibilities to facilitate domestic spread in areas that are already overwhelmed with new cases.
And just like with the Spanish flu,America has ignored the spread of COVID-19 until it was too late.But remember,it’s not too late to learn from history.
The Spanish flu of 1918 had a lot in common with the coronavirus in 2020. It infected millions around the globe,it spread easily through the air through coughs and sneezes.But the real similarities between these two pandemics is in how American government responded.
The Spanish flu was first identified in the U.S. in military personnel in the spring of 1918.It was caused by an H1N1 virus that originated in birds，the so-called Spanish flu.It was dubbed the Spanish flu because it was thought at the time to have originated in Spain. Research published in 2005 suggest it actually originated in New York due to evidence of a pre-pandemic wave of the virus in that city. It was named Spanish flu because Spain was neutral in World War I (1914-1918), meaning it could report on the severity of the pandemic, but countries fighting the war were suppressing reports on how the disease affected their populations.
The outbreak in the United States clearly began in March 1918 in Kansas, and from there it spread to Europe thanks in large measure to the flow of U.S. troops to France....
The pandemic is conventionally marked as having begun on 4 March 1918, with the recording of the case of Albert Gitchell, an army cook at Camp Funston in Kansas, United States.Within days, 522 men at the camp had reported sick.By 11 March 1918, the virus had reached Queens, New York.Failure to take preventive measures in March/April was later criticised.
As the US had entered World War I, the disease quickly spread from Camp Funston, a major training ground for troops of the American Expeditionary Forces, to other US Army camps and Europe.It then quickly spread to the rest of France, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain,
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.Mr Trump has downplayed the severity of the problem as cases surge around the country.
More than 20,000 American service members have contracted the coronavirus, and the infection rate in the services has tripled as the United States military has emerged as a potential source of transmission both domestically and abroad, according to military and local public health officials.
Cases are rising the most on military bases in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas, states that have all seen surges in confirmed infections. At a base in Okinawa, Japan, the U.S. Marine Corps has reported nearly 100 cases, enraging local officials. And in war zones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, already awash with unreported cases, U.S. troops have contended with outbreaks within their ranks.
As the nation that projects military power in dozens of countries all over the world — some of which are banning American travelers — the United States has many opportunities to export an unchecked virus, as well as possibilities to facilitate domestic spread in areas that are already overwhelmed with new cases.
And just like with the Spanish flu,America has ignored the spread of COVID-19 until it was too late.But remember,it’s not too late to learn from history.
