Spanish Flu how it affects the body

University of the People

Infectious Disease
Introduction

There are multiple pandemics all over the world that use microorganisms that are also considered

a pathogen that have come and gone through the years. Even though each illness has taken

millions of lives including Covid-19 today virus. The spanish flu is the most severe (Nordqvist,

2006). There is no evidence that where the spanish flu originated from most of the casualties

were in spain. The most common name is Spanish flu, There are people that call it the French

flu. The spanish flu was considered a category 5 flu pandemic. This was caused by type A from

the H1N1 influenza viruses. This virus was in high peak in 1918 to 1920 when WWI was coming

to an end.

When the spanish flu was on the rise Doctors and scientists didn’t know how to fight it. They

didn’t have the resources like vaccines and antivirals like we have today. The spanish flu would

affect the skin by causing it to become blue. After this occurs the body’s extremities start to turn

black and move closer to the torso (spinney,2018). Fluid filling the lungs and followed by death.

I believe that fluid building in the lungs is probably the most severe. When the lungs fill with

fluid this causes the host to not be able to breath in oxygen and the body is deprived of oxygen

causing organ systems to shut down ultimately followed by death. Different parts of the body do

start to turn black and the body starts to shut down. The spanish flu can cause the host to have

digestive issues and more skin issues like the host getting herpes and skin turning blue

(Knobler, 2005).

There are multiple different symptoms that people do get but not severe physically. Depending

on how the mother feels, a pregnant woman is at high risk of having a misscarriage when have

the spanish flu. Not all cases are severe physically from a mother’s stand point. Spanish flu can
also cause dizziness, insomnia, loss of hearing and smell, hemorrhage of the membrane causing

nosebleeds, stomach, and intestines. The most common would be pneumonia that caused a

secondary infection that was caused by the Spanish flu. The difference of the severity is the

climate of the different types of population is the biggest. The spanish flu was affecting people

that lived in colder climates or rainy climates. The spanish flu also affects young adults, not just

high risk people. From what I can find there is any evidence that I can find. The characteristics of

the severity of the body system is again i believe that the environment that the person is in.

During WWI with the close proximity of the soldiers causing them not to be able to do what we

call “Social Distance.” The climate that these soldiers were in with the wet and cold climate was

a huge factor (Mullins, 2010). Causing the body's immune system to weaken. The weakened

immune system plays a role with the spanish flu because this would cause the infection to spread

more quickly throughout the body.

Spanish flu killed over 500 million people. More United States Soldiers were killed by the

spanish flu than the actual battle of WWI (Mullins, 2010). Even though millions have lost their

lives and all felt lost there were ways for people to help prevent the spread. People would wear a

mask and reduce activity out in public. There was not an actual treatment for the spanish flu and

doctors were telling people to use up to 30 grams of aspirin, in modern times that is now

considered to be toxic.

Reference:

“1918 Spanish Flu made body kill own cells” Christain Norclqvist, 2016

(medicalnewstoday.com)
Spinney L (2018). Pale rider: the Spanish flu of 1918 and how it changed the world. London:

Vintage. ISBN 978-1-78470-240-3.

Knobler S, Mack A, Mahmoud A, Lemon S, eds. (2005). "1: The Story of Influenza". The Threat

of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005). Washington, DC: The

National Academies Press. pp. 60–61.

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