CDC. (2019, January 22). History of 1918 flu pandemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-pandemic-history.htm
At the time, there was no ideal treatment for Influenza. As a result, without ideal medications to treat patients, medical personnel in 1918 were left to use non-pharmaceutical strategies to combat the spread of infectious diseases (CDC, 2019). The measures consisted of educating people to wear masks, enhancing proper hygiene, and isolating patients infected with the disease. This source is essential because it comprehensively explains the measures used to combat the Influenza pandemic at the time. Moreover, the source will help me establish factual historical information about the 1918 pandemic for my research. Lastly, the CDC article helps understand the national policies implemented by the federal government and public health workers to combat the spread of highly infectious ailments and maintain public safety.
Honigsbaum, M. (2013). Regulating the 1918–19 pandemic: Flu, stoicism and the Northcliffe press. Medical history, 57(2), 165-185.
The article highlights information about the political views and ideologies that surrounded the spread of the Influenza virus in 1918. It argues that the impacts of World War 1 highly influenced the politics involved at the time. The pandemic occurred at a time when World War 1 had ended. The politics involved wartime propaganda and medical measures to stimulate a police response for citizens to protect themselves from the pandemic (Honigsbaum, 2013). The article is essential since the author analyzes the political views used to reduce the spread of the viral disease using stoicism. Stoicism is a philosophical thought that focuses on virtues and justice. The article will thus be essential to examine whether the political views used at the time were fair to citizens.
Kraut, A. M. (2010). Immigration, ethnicity, and the pandemic. Public health reports, 125(3_suppl), 123-133.
The article gives a historical background of the cultures and beliefs during the Spanish pandemic. It begins by establishing that the spread of the Influenza virus was not a new concept since citizens had developed a name for the virus. The term given was La grippe, which references a disease that was neither new nor deadly. The article is important because it details the cultures and beliefs that led to the spread of the pandemic in the U.S. At the time, the U.S. was undergoing cultural changes due to the immigration of foreigners. It facilitated the belief in American societies that the immigration of foreigners was the main reason for the pandemic. It will be fundamental to comprehend how such beliefs affected efforts to curb the spread of the disease.
Martini, M., Gazzaniga, V., Bragazzi, N. L., & Barberis, I. (2019). The Spanish Influenza Pandemic: a lesson from history 100 years after 1918. Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene, 60(1), E64.
The report details lessons to be learned from the pandemic. The author establishes that the measures used to prevent the spread of the pandemic in 1918 are still applicable in contemporary societies. Measures like wearing masks and isolation are still vital strategies that have been borrowed from the 1918 pandemic and are still used in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The article is essential because it provided some of the mistakes committed in 1918 and were repeated during the coronavirus pandemic. Martini et al. (2019) assert that false information and restriction of newspapers when reporting the pandemic escalated the spread of the disease, which was evident at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stanford. (n.d.). The 1918 influenza pandemic: Response. virus. https://virus.stanford.edu/uda/fluresponse.html
The article states that the public response to the 1918 pandemic was based on governmental laws advocated by healthcare providers. The primary response entailed closing schools, banning large gatherings, such as church meetings and funeral ceremonies. Moreover, wearing masks became the norm, with most civilians wearing masks when they had to go outside. The benefit of the report is that it offers an overall historical account of the measures that helped the public to prevent themselves from getting infected.
References
CDC. (2019, January 22). History of 1918 flu pandemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-pandemic-history.htm
Honigsbaum, M. (2013). Regulating the 1918–19 pandemic: Flu, stoicism and the Northcliffe press. Medical history, 57(2), 165-185.
Kraut, A. M. (2010). Immigration, ethnicity, and the pandemic. Public health reports, 125(3_suppl), 123-133.
Martini, M., Gazzaniga, V., Bragazzi, N. L., & Barberis, I. (2019). The Spanish Influenza Pandemic: a lesson from history 100 years after 1918. Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene, 60(1), E64.
Stanford. (n.d.). The 1918 influenza pandemic: Response. virus. https://virus.stanford.edu/uda/fluresponse.html