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6
Senior
Pandemics then and now: the
more things change, the more
they stay the same
JACOB WANDERSEE
Correspondent
There are many things about our world that are
cyclical. The sun is going to come up every day,
the economy will follow similar patterns of rising
and falling to rise again, and mullets will be in
style about every 20 years.
A cycle that we are all currently experiencing to
the fullest is the influenza pandemic, with today’s
iteration known as COVID-19.
In the past 100 years, our world has seen differ-
ent strains of the flu come in like a wildfire, leav-
ing the world in various degrees of distress. Some
of the most prominent recent pandemics include
the Swine Flu that took place in 2009-10, causing
up to 575,000 deaths; the Hong Kong flu in 1968-
70, where 500,000 to two million deaths were re-
corded; and in 1957-58, we had the not entirely
appropriately named Asian flu, which caused up-
wards of one to two million deaths.
The most serious was the Spanish flu of 1918 to
1920, which claimed 40 to 50 million lives across
the globe – 675,000 in the U.S., and more than
10,000 in Minnesota.
It is estimated that about 500 million people, or
one-third of the world’s population, became in-
fected with this virus, a simply staggering number.
This flu wasn’t exactly like COVID-19. First of
all, who it primarily affected was drastically dif-
ferent.
COVID-19 primarily is affecting those who are
65 years and older, as well as those with underly-
ing health conditions.
Meanwhile, the Spanish flu had a higher mor-
tality rate, with people younger than five years old
as well, as healthy 20 to 40-year-olds, a unique
feature to that pandemic.
Secondly, a lot has changed in 102 years of civ-
ilization. Our ability to relay and analyze infor-
mation quickly and accurately, to work together
to develop a vaccine, and to mobilize healthcare
forces have all improved with the advancement of
our society. These advancements have drastically
improved our ability to curtail the damage that an
influenza pandemic can do to our population.
However, interestingly enough, many of the
same precautions were attempted in 1918, as they
are being applied right now.
Recommendations 102 years ago included iso-
lation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of
disinfectants, and limitations of public gatherings,
which are all tactics that are also being used today.
Connections May/June 2020
As soldiers from World War I brought the dis-
ease to the United States in 1918, doctors and
medical personnel were not ready for the uptick
in major flu cases.
In late September, the first case came to Min-
nesota from students who were training to be sol-
diers, resulting in 850 patients being admitted in
just 10 days, resulting in 61 deaths. From there,
cases spread throughout Minnesota.
To combat the flu, health officials directed that
Minnesotans rest and stay home.
Government officials closed many of the same
establishments that we are seeing closed today,
including schools, libraries, dance and pool halls,
theaters, bowling alleys, churches, and lodges, in
an attempt to limit crowds and the spread of the
virus.
Public transportation was also limited and retail
businesses could not advertise sales and had reg-
ulated hours.
The same questions arose among communities
as well, wondering whether these changes were
too drastic or unnecessary. Protests were held to
voice opinions on the monetary cost and income
loss that these decisions were causing, and many
blatantly ignored the laws and regulations.
Due to the swiftness of the virus and the health
complications it caused, there was a shortage of
doctors and nurses across the state. Additional
factors leading to a medical personnel shortage
included that up to one-third of the doctors were
already supporting the war effort, and others were
in northern Minnesota caring for the forest fire
victims.
One exceptionally grim example of the serious-
ness of the disease in this time was outlined in the
Warren Sheaf in Martin County, where a couple
was married on October 23rd.
The bride died on October 31; the groom passed
the following morning; and the priest passed on
November 2, all due to the virus.
After reading through editions of the Lester
Prairie News from 1918, it doesn’t appear that
things were quite as grim in our local communi-
ties as it was in other parts of the state and coun-
try.
In the October 17, 1918 issue, it was outlined
that despite no known cases of the flu being
present in Lester Prairie, that Mayor Kimpel an-
More PANDEMICS on Pg 7
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