Why was the 1918 Spanish Flu so much worse then the 2009 Swine Flu, Polio, or the current Coronavirus Plague?

Answer 1

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The numbers were a lot higher. The Spanish Flu (1918-1920) killed 100 million people mostly because of poor conditions during World War One. It had nothing to do with Spain, except that Spanish journalists were the first to spread news of the flu.

Answer 2

Just remember that the world's population in 1918 was about 1.6 billion. Now it is about 7.5 billion.

Answer 3

It was a very deadly influenza that didn't so much bother babies and old people (with weak immune systems), as it did the strong, healthy young adults.

It overpowered their lungs with a "cytokine storm".

Answer 4

It wasn't.

The "Spanish Flu" was only the beginning. It weakened many people and made them more susceptible to Pneumococcal pneumonia. That is what really killed so many people.

Answer 5

Because there were no antibiotics in 1918. After antibiotics were developed, secondary infections like pneumonia were now manageable and far less deadly.

Answer 6

Containment procedures, the idea of social distancing, better medical facilities, better understanding of how pandemics work, vaccines.....