“Reconsidering the 1918–19 Influenza Pandemic in the Age of COVID-19”

Abstract

For many us who have studied, researched, written, and taught about the influenza pandemic of 1918–19, the current period of the global viral pandemic is eerily and unpleasantly familiar. Today, the rapid global spread of a virus has prompted policies calling for widespread closures, social distancing, constant handwashing, and public mask wearing in additional to other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). We have also seen pushback and resistance to these directives as well as substantial mismanagement of resources and a flood of misinformation. Much health policy has been inconsistently set at the local rather than federal level. These responses to our current pandemic closely mirror those to the pandemic 102 years ago.

How to Best Protect People With Diabetes From the Impact of SARS-CoV-2: Report of the International COVID-19 and Diabetes Summit

“…), physical distancing (also called social distancing), hand hygiene, and masks were all measures that were recommended in 1918, and when implemented, helped to slow the spread of disease and limit suffering, disease, and death. 12 It is also worth noting that the 1918 influenza pandemic occurred while many Western nations were involved in World War I. Governments around the world tried to control information by obscuring infection and mortality rates and pushed nationalistic messaging and activities.…”

The challenges of providing certainty in the face of wicked problems: Analysing the UK government's handling of the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Comparisons drawn between the 1918–19 Spanish Flu and COVID‐19 pandemic concluded that today's inadequate and counterproductive responses, including pushback and resistance to directives, mismanagement of resources, a never‐ending flood of mis‐ and disinformation (Calvert & Arbuthnott, 2021 ), ‘closely mirror those to the pandemic 102 years ago’ (Nichols et al, 2020 , p. 642). Due to the steady evolution of the spread of communicable diseases alongside drivers towards the world being a global village (Huremović, 2019 ; Tisdell, 2020 ), such events are more predictable.…”

“…Reflecting on the 1918–19 and COVID‐19 pandemics Professor Nancy Bristow acknowledged ‘how little I understood about the overwhelming power of the uncertainty that comes with a pandemic born of a novel virus’ (Nichols et al, 2020 , p. 643). She highlights COVID‐19 is ‘a complex problem in a complex system’ (Rutter et al, 2020 ), in other words, a wicked problem – typical of a VUCA world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (Latemore, 2020 ).…”

Changes in Urban Planning in Response to Pandemics: A Comparative Review from H1N1 to COVID-19 (2009–2022)

“…At present, however, most studies have focused on the single outbreak of COVID-19, and there are fewer historical retrospective studies, which can be divided into two categories. One category compares COVID-19 with the 1918 flu, showing that both have a catastrophic impact on the globe and analyzing the similarities in urban responses [8,9]. The other category summarizes a large span of events from the 1918 flu to COVID-19, illustrating how urban planning intersects with a public health response through thematic studies [10,11].…”