Fact Check: Circulating Photographs of the Atmosphere During the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic, Really?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta – Some photos are claimed to describe the atmosphere during the pandemic Spanish flu 1918 circulated on social media. One of these photos was uploaded to a Facebook account The social politics of the history of religious conflict and the development of the times on June 6, 2020.

Some of these photos seem to depict the lives of people during the pandemic Spanish flu. There is a photo showing a pair of women wearing masks when walking on the sidewalk. Other photographs also appear that a pair of women use plastic to cover the head to body.

Facebook account The social politics of the history of religious conflict and the development of the times add narration in the uploaded content.

“Spanish Flu Pandemic

Long before the corona covid-19 virus pandemic struck, there had been a pandemic Spanish flu in 1918. At least 50 million people worldwide died from the Spanish flu.

Shankhadeep Das, a physiotherapist who works at Birbhum Vivekananda Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Sainthia, West Bengal, India shared photos of the Spanish flu pandemic.

In his upload, Wednesday (3/6/2020), Shankhadeep showed some unique photos that took place during the pandemic. The photos are similar to the current situation.

At that time, governments from various countries also did not yet know how to treat Spanish flu. Steps taken to prevent the spread of the virus include wearing a mask, breathing in fresh air and eating warm porridge. Interestingly, some people in the photos uploaded by Shankhadeep were seen wearing masks, face or body coverings with unique objects.

The Spanish flu that struck the world in 1918 tended to strike people aged between 20 and 30 years. Instead, those of productive age and a strong immune system become victims. Men are also more victims. The Spanish flu pandemic lasted for two years. An estimated 40 to 50 million people died between 1918 and 1920 due to the disease.

In BBC World Service journalist Fernando Duarte’s research, the Spanish flu is recorded to have killed more people than World War I.

Regional quarantine was effective in preventing the spread of the Spanish flu at that time.

For example, in September 1918, US cities organized marches to promote war bonds. The proceeds from the sale are used to help the ongoing war.

Philadelphia continued to march, even though at that time the Spanish flu was plaguing. While the city of St. Louis decided to cancel the march.

A month later, more than 10,000 people died in Philadelphia. But in the city of St. Louis, people who died under 700 people.

This difference is the subject of a case study which states that keeping social distance is a strategy to overcome the epidemic.

Analysis of several US cities in 1918 showed lower mortality rates in places that had earlier banned public gatherings, closed theaters, schools and churches. America alone lost nearly 700,000 citizens because of this pandemic.

This new flu vaccine first circulated to the public in the 1940s, “write a Facebook account The social politics of the history of religious conflict and the development of the times.

Content distributed by Facebook accounts The social politics of the history of religious conflict and the development of the times 8 times shared citizens.

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