1918 Influenza Research Paper

Have you ever questioned why public schools are making kids get vaccinations? Vaccines are enforced in public schools in order to prevent virus spreading and potential danger. March 4, 1918, it started with an American soldier who reported sick with a flu and hours later hundreds were infected. Known as the “Spanish Flu” or “the epidemic of 1918” it is ranked as one of the most deadliest epidemics and had death tolls higher than that of World War 1. The impact of the epidemic on the 20th Century is that it provided insight on treatment of the flu, created the influenza vaccine, and a controversial topic for further research.

The epidemic of 1918 provides insight on the treatment of the flu because of the attempts during 1918. Due to the lack of research, doctors did not know how to treat the flu so they often used medieval techniques. For example, “Treatment

For example, “Despite clinical and epidemiologic similarities to influenza pandemics of 1889, 1847, and even earlier, many questioned whether such an explosively fatal disease could be influenza at all”(Taubenberger). It wasn’t until late October researchers argued the influenza was a virus and on the right track to find the cure while the epidemic was coming to a close. A perfect illustration on how mysterious the Spanish Flu was to the public is revealed in a political cartoon posted by Nancy Tomes in 2010. For example, there is a man who says “who are you?”(Tomes) to a masked man and it’s ironic because it is just an old man. People were scared of the epidemic and accused anyone with flu like symptoms and was basically a salem witch trials part two. In the end, “Influenza vaccine was first introduced as a licensed product in the United States in 1944”(Goldberger). In spite of taking 26 years to introduce influenza vaccines it is a great accomplishment because it will protect us from future viruses and