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H1N1 and WW1: The Spanish Flu and the Great War

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  • Ó Gráda, Cormac

Abstract

World War 1 exacerbated the cost of the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 in two ways. First, it facilitated the spread the flu virus through the movement of clusters of infected soldiers and sailors. Second, it constrained public health measures that would have reduced mortality (as during the Covid-19 epidemic). While there is no obvious way of estimating any resulting mortality, attributing even a modest share of the deaths caused by the flu to the war would significantly increase the civilian death toll.

Suggested Citation

  • Ó Gráda, Cormac, 2024. "H1N1 and WW1: The Spanish Flu and the Great War," MPRA Paper 121698, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:121698
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    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/121698/1/MPRA_paper_121698.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Siddharth Chandra, 2013. "Mortality from the influenza pandemic of 1918-19 in Indonesia," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 67(2), pages 185-193, July.
    2. Siddharth Chandra & Goran Kuljanin & Jennifer Wray, 2012. "Mortality From the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919: The Case of India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(3), pages 857-865, August.
    3. Amanda Guimbeau & Nidhiya Menon & Aldo Musacchio, 2020. "The Brazilian Bombshell? The Long-Term Impact of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic the South American Way," NBER Working Papers 26929, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Mamelund, Svenn-Erik, 2006. "A socially neutral disease? Individual social class, household wealth and mortality from Spanish influenza in two socially contrasting parishes in Kristiania 1918-19," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(4), pages 923-940, February.
    5. Maria Gilson deValpine, 2015. "Influenza in Bristol Bay, 1919," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(1), pages 21582440155, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    pandemic; influenza; World War I;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • N0 - Economic History - - General

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