The 1918-20 Influenza Pandemic: A Retrospective in the Time of COVID-19

This study pieces together and analyses the scattered multi-disciplinary literature on the 1918-20 Influenza Pandemic (Spanish Flu) in order to place debates on the evolving course of the current COVID-19 crisis in historical perspective. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The pandemic of 1918–20, commonly referred to as the Spanish flu, infected over a quarter of the world's population and claimed the lives of over fifty million individuals. It stands as the most devastating humanitarian crisis resulting from an infectious disease in modern history, surpassing all previous records. Epidemiologists and health scientists frequently reference this catastrophic event to establish the plausible upper bound (the worst-case scenario) for future pandemic mortality. The primary objective of this study is to compile and analyze the fragmented multidisciplinary literature on the pandemic, providing a historical context for debates surrounding the evolving course of the current COVID-19 crisis. The analysis centers on examining the evolving characteristics of pathogens and diseases over time, the institutional factors that influenced the global spread, the demographic and socio-economic impacts, and the pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical responses to the pandemic. Additionally, this title is also accessible as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Weight: 122g
Dimension: 152 x 227 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009336086