Disease "Spaniard" - a terrible epidemic of the 20th century

The disease "Spaniard" is a pandemic flu. The ailment swept the entire planet in the first two decades of the 20th century. Influenza at that time was already known, a similar clinical picture as early as 412 BC described Hippocrates. By 1918, the world had already suffered some epidemics of this disease, but had not seen such a terrible thing as a "Spaniard".

The onset of ailment

It is generally believed that the first cases of this pandemic were observed in the winter of 1918 in the United States. In Europe, the disease "Spaniard" migrated with American recruits, who were mobilized for the First World War. The outbreak of the disease began in the spring and summer of 1918. Victims of it became as allies (Americans, Frenchmen, Englishmen), and German troops, civilians of Europe. At a time when censorship of wartime tried to prevent disclosure of any information about the illnesses of soldiers, peaceful Spain trumpeted about a terrible disease that affected about 39% of the inhabitants of this country. This was the reason for the very name of the pandemic.

Three stages of the spread of the disease

Disease "Spaniard" rolled into the world gradually, three "waves". In the first, which was observed from March to July 1918, with a high degree of susceptibility to the disease, there were relatively few deaths from it. During the second, from September to December, the deaths were the maximum. At the third wave, from February to April 1919, the death rate from a pandemic significantly decreased.

Number of victims

For one and a half years of "domination" of the "Spanish" throughout the world, every fifth inhabitant of the planet has suffered an ailment. According to various data, between 2 and 5% of the world population died. In the US, the Spaniard's disease caused more than half a million deaths, in France - about 400,000, in England - about 200,000. In the countries of the East (Japan and China) - from 200 to 300 thousand in each. Some tribes in Africa have completely died out of "Spanish". The number of Eskimos from the disease decreased by 60%. According to statistics, the pandemic to a lesser degree embraced Russia. Perhaps, the data is not accurate enough due to incorrect accounting because of the civil war that was taking place at that time. The level of development of the disease in Russia began to decline from May 1919, and by the summer there were practically no cases of infection.

Symptomatics

"Spaniard" is a disease whose photo of the pathogen is shown in the article. Effective therapeutic agents, able to overcome these pathogens, at that time was not. Infected with "Spaniard" was very affected by her symptoms. The first signs of influenza in the sick were manifested in the form of headaches, fever, fatigue. In this state, people still assumed that everything would work out, hoping that the symptoms - it's just an ordinary migraine or overwork. But when the patient's skin gradually acquired a cyanotic shade, there was no doubt about the diagnosis. The later stage of "spanish" was characterized by bleeding in the lungs. Sometimes it was so strong that the person choked. Most of the victims of the pandemic died a day after infection. Then the origin of the virus was not found out.