Spanish Flu #82766
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The Spanish Flu. By Gunnar Þór Bjarnason.
The Spanish flu was the deadliest pandemic in history and arrived in this country in the midst of the eruption of Mount Katla in one of the most eventful years of the twentieth century, 1918. Hundreds of Icelanders fell victim in just a few weeks, mostly young people in the prime of life and more women than men. Many children lost their parents. These were tragic times with few funerals and the ringing of bells. The Spanish flu left wounds that healed slowly or never. Here we hear about a trawler who came back from a voyage when the disease was at its peak and felt as if all life in Reykjavík had been extinguished, and a beloved singer who died from her infant daughter. Other memorable individuals are also included – doctors, nurses, midwives and others who fought heroically against the “great plague” but often had little to do. Many countries tried to contain the disease with travel bans, but the government, especially the Director of Public Health, was relentlessly criticized for allowing it into the country. Was it possible to confront this terrifying global plague with targeted disease prevention? And to what extent is the Spanish flu comparable to the viral pandemic that has swept the world in 2020?
The Spanish flu was the deadliest pandemic in history and arrived in this country in the midst of the eruption of Mount Katla in one of the most eventful years of the twentieth century, 1918. Hundreds of Icelanders fell victim in just a few weeks, mostly young people in the prime of life and more women than men. Many children lost their parents. These were tragic times with few funerals and the ringing of bells. The Spanish flu left wounds that healed slowly or never. Here we hear about a trawler who came back from a voyage when the disease was at its peak and felt as if all life in Reykjavík had been extinguished, and a beloved singer who died from her infant daughter. Other memorable individuals are also included – doctors, nurses, midwives and others who fought heroically against the “great plague” but often had little to do. Many countries tried to contain the disease with travel bans, but the government, especially the Director of Public Health, was relentlessly criticized for allowing it into the country. Was it possible to confront this terrifying global plague with targeted disease prevention? And to what extent is the Spanish flu comparable to the viral pandemic that has swept the world in 2020?