Past Pandemics: What Can We Learn That May Help Us Today?

For several weeks, nothing has dominated national and
international headlines more than the coronavirus. As of this
week, authorities have identified approximately 113,000 cases
worldwide, more than 4,000 deaths have been reported and the WHO
is now calling the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. 





The coronavirus might be new. But this is by no means the first
time that America and the world have been in the grips of a
deadly virus. Over a century ago, Spanish influenza caused a
global pandemic, spread in large part by soldiers returning home
from the First World War. The virus killed between 50 and 100
million people. But the story of the virus, and the lives it
affected, has often been forgotten.  





Back in 2018, BackStory looked at the history of Spanish
influenza in an episode titled “Forgotten Flu: America and the
1918 Pandemic.” So in the wake of ongoing concerns about
coronavirus, Ed revisits a couple segments from that show, to
learn about how people from the past dealt with a terrifying and
unpredictable virus. 

Music:


Hip Hop Piano Lounge by Bobby Cole/Audioblocks


Sad and Reflective Hip Hop by Bobby Cole/Audioblocks


Light and Laid Back Rap Beat by Bobby Cole/Audioblocks





Fighting the Flu 





Brian and historian Nancy Bristow explore the medical community’s
response to the 1918 pandemic, and their inability to understand
the virus. 





Music: 


Ones Left Behind by Ketsa





Once and Future Flu





Brian speaks with virologist John Oxford about how the 1918
influenza pandemic spread worldwide and why scientists think we
should prepare for another pandemic. 





Music:


Live With No Fear by Ketsa