The situation before the First World War
The huge losses caused by the largest war in history also shocked all the people in the world at that time. However, many people may not have expected that this modern war, which lasted for four years and used the most advanced technology and industrial level at that time, did not cause a small death. A cold? A lot.
A cold has long been a common occurrence for everyone. No matter whether you are strong or have low immunity, I believe no one can escape the ravages of a cold. However, the cold can only go so far. You may have a cold, fever, runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat and, worst of all, a low-grade fever. So most people catch a cold and won't even go to the hospital. Go to the drugstore and grab a medicine and it will be cured. They are in good health and don't even need to take medicine. They will pass by.
However, this flu is just a common cold, and not all colds are so deadly. For example, the flu that broke out in 19 18 killed at least 20 million people. That is to say, in a short period of one year, the number of people who died of influenza was actually more than that caused by 1 world war.
People who died of Spanish flu
And this terrible cold is the famous Spanish flu. The world war 1 came to an end on 19 18 because Germany and Austria-Hungary had reached the limit, and it was also closely related to the deadly Spanish flu. Because of this flu, the soldiers who did not fall on the battlefield fell in the ravages of the flu, and Germany was even unable to continue the war.
So, where did such a terrible flu come from? 19 18 March 1 1 Although the smoke in Europe is still thick, the United States, far from the battlefield, is still peaceful. However, at this time, on a large scale? A cold? . Many soldiers began to feel sick. They have many typical cold symptoms, such as fever, headache and sore throat.
When this situation was first discovered, the military doctors were not so worried. They think these soldiers just have a common cold. However, what the doctor never expected was that in just a few days, more than 500 people in this military camp fell ill because of a cold. Immediately, the flu quickly spread to all parts of the United States with lightning speed.
United States of America
With the large-scale entry of American troops into the European battlefield, the virus also came to Europe with the American expeditionary force, and quickly swept the whole European continent with the war. Then, with the flow of people, the Eastern Hemisphere, including China, began to be ravaged by influenza, and South America and Africa were not spared in May.
Worst of all, when the flu was raging all over the world, because the 1 world war was not over yet, in order to prevent the military and civilians from panicking and attack their opponents, both sides of the war kept the epidemic strictly confidential, and this secrecy also infected countless military and civilians who knew nothing about the epidemic.
Fortunately, this situation changed when the flu spread to Spain. Spain was a neutral country during the 1 world war and did not participate in either of the warring parties. Therefore, when a large-scale influenza epidemic broke out in Spain and caused countless deaths, Spain did not keep its mouth shut about the epidemic like the warring parties, but chose to publicly announce it.
Spain
It is also because Spain took the lead in publicizing the ravages of this epidemic that countries began to label this disaster? Spanish flu? The name of. Obviously, although this flu is called the Spanish epidemic, the flu virus was not first produced in Spain, and Spain is not the country that suffered the most. It is obviously unfair for Spain to name the flu as a Spanish epidemic.
With the outbreak of influenza, the situation is getting worse and worse. In May alone, more than 8 million people died of this flu, and this figure is only counted in developed regions such as Europe and America. As for Africa, South America and Asia, it is simply difficult to count. In other words, after the flu epidemic, the number of people who really died should be far greater than the official statistics. Therefore, some people think that the number of people who died during the Spanish flu is not just 20 million, but
However, this is still not the final result. After the Spanish flu spread on troop carriers and merchant ships, it swept the world like a prairie fire. Influenza has appeared in Europe, America, which is still in peacetime, or Africa, which is still in primitive times. It is difficult to count the people who are seriously ill or even die because of the flu. Due to the illness or death of a large number of workers, countless factories were forced to stop working, and a large number of agriculture were forced to abandon the soil.
A region ravaged by Spanish flu
Due to the epidemic of influenza, the industry and commerce of all countries in the world are stagnant or even depressed. The once prosperous European countries' trade has also come to a standstill due to the flu epidemic. Once busy ports and docks around the world have become deserted, and even some governments have been forced to stop because of the flu.
What is even more frightening is that the people who are most vulnerable to this flu are not the old, the weak and the sick, but the young and middle-aged. Therefore, in the battlefield of World War I, soldiers became the hardest hit areas of this flu. For example, more than 65,438+06,000 American soldiers stationed in Orleans, France, lost their combat effectiveness because of the flu. Even 1/5, the American expeditionary force that sailed from the United States to the European battlefield, lost its life because of the flu before boarding the ship.
MacArthur, an American legendary star during World War II, also contracted the flu during World War I, but fortunately, MacArthur was not killed by the flu. The epidemic of influenza makes both warring parties in a state of fierce war unwilling to fight, because the number of casualties on the battlefield is not even as high as that of soldiers who died of influenza. Many soldiers on the battlefield can't even lift their rifles, so they have to use them as crutches. Germany, which was already at a disadvantage, was forced to declare its surrender under the attack of the Allies and the flu.
Germany and France held armistice talks in Fuxi carriage.
However, with the end of World War I, the Spanish epidemic did not disappear, but became more rampant. As soldiers from various countries return to the battlefield, it objectively creates favorable conditions for the further spread of the virus. Therefore, with the end of World War I, the Spanish flu became more rampant: more than 700 people died every day in Mumbai, British India. In Barcelona, Spain, more than 1200 residents die of influenza every day.
Faced with the growing flu, governments around the world finally realized the seriousness of the problem and began to take various measures: public meetings and large-scale activities with a large number of people began to be banned, and even funerals were required to be completed within 15 minutes. Movies, dance halls, bars, church services and other activities began to be closed or restricted. Ordinary residents must wear masks to travel, and Britain requires all streets to be sprayed with disinfectant.
However, human development in the early 20th century was extremely unbalanced. Except Britain, France, Germany and other developed countries, the vast majority of human beings live in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where food and clothing are not even solved. These areas are still in a state of war for a long time, and the governments in some areas can't even rule effectively. Therefore, the number of casualties caused by Spanish flu in these areas is still a mystery.
People were forced to wear masks because of the Spanish flu.
To be sure, due to the worse environment and weaker government, the casualties caused by Spanish flu in these areas will definitely be more serious than in Europe. For example, Eskimo tribes living in the cold zone and far from the center of human civilization have not been spared. On the contrary, Eskimos, who are also within the scope of Spanish flu, suffered extremely heavy losses. At the worst, many Eskimo tribes even died in a village.
The contagiousness and lethality of the Spanish flu are chilling. Like the Titanic that crashed on the ice, the Spanish virus slapped the human who claimed to be the master of the earth. However, human beings are lucky after all. Just as the whole world was shivering in the ravages of the Spanish flu, in the spring of 1920, except for a few areas such as Australia and Hawaii, the Spanish flu began to gradually disappear around the world. Human beings who claim to have entered the highly developed industrial era watched the Spanish flu suddenly raging and mysteriously disappearing.
People who work in masks.
So, where did the Spanish flu come from? Why is the incidence and infection rate so high and why is it mainly prevalent among young people? Through the unremitting efforts of scientists, they found that the Spanish influenza virus that was popular all over the world in 19 18 had the same genetic variation as the recently popular avian influenza virus. American scientists have also successfully created the virus 19 18. Perhaps in the near future, mankind will completely uncover the true face of the Spanish flu that killed tens of millions of people and make contributions to the prevention and control of the epidemic.