Black Flu 1918

When the news first came out about the coronavirus, I got a couple of books about an earlier pandemic by Geoffrey Rice out of the library, in order to get a better perspective on what we are facing. One was called Black Flu 1918: The Story of New Zealand's Worst Public Health Disaster. The disease was called the “black flu” because the most severe cases contracted bacterial pneumonia, and the lack of oxygen caused their body to go a black colour.

In New Zealand, about 9000 people died of this flu epidemic. This was half of the number of people killed during the first world war, so it was a hugely serious loss. If the same death rate applied to the current population, that would be 30,000 deaths; ie the entire city of Timaru.

The flu epidemic was quickly forgotten. No public memorials were built. It seems that the people who were numbed by the death and horror of the war, quickly forgot what happened and life moved on; except for those who lost family members.

The following are some quotes from Rice’s book.

Most victims of the 1918 flu pandemic died from pneumonia, a bacterial infection of the lungs that caused a prolonged fever and blood-streaked phlegm. Chest pain and shortness of breath were warning signs.

Influenza is a dangerous disease because it often unleashes secondary bacterial infections. Bronchitis is a bacterial infection of the tubes that Bronchitis is a bacterial infection of the tubes that carry air to and from the lungs, while pneumonia is an infection inside the lungs, and can be much more serious. Unless treated with antibiotics, pneumonia can be deadly.

Influenza pandemics normally only kill the very young and the very old. But the 1918 pandemic was different, and quite unusual. As well as infants and the elderly, it killed healthy adults the prime of life, especially in the age groups between 20 and 45 years. In New Zealand, it killed more men than women in these age groups, and we still don’t know “why. Children between the ages of five and 15 were the least likely to die in the 1918 flu.

I was surprised by how quick the epidemic came and went.

The first victims were struck in late October 1918. By 26 October, 28 nurses at Auckland Hospital had reported sick with flu, and by 30 October, the Post Office, which was a large employer, reported 330 employees absent. Most deaths in New Zealand occurred within about 3 weeks at the beginning of November.

By late December 1918, most parts of New Zealand were over the worst of the flu. Shops reopened, factories were able to resume production as workers returned and transport services returned to normal.

The virus probably arrived in New Zealand on returning troopships. Although schools had to be closed early for the summer school holiday, there was no attempt to impose a general shutdown. The virus spread rapidly during peace celebrations that were held in mid-November to celebrate the end of the war on 11 November 1918.

By the time news of the Armistice was made official on 12 November, most New Zealand towns and cities were fully gripped by the pandemic. Yet in many places, peace celebrations went ahead regardless, as people had been preparing processions and speeches for weeks beforehand.

Christchurch, the South Islands largest city, held its provincial holiday in early November to coincide with the Canterbury AMP Show and major race meetings. Hundreds of people came to Christchurch for Carnival Week each year, and 1918 was no exception.

Australia forced all returning troops ships to be quarantined, and the country entirely escaped the epidemic in 1918. However, Australia was hit by a third wave of the epidemic in late 1919, but by then the flu virus was much less virulent.

The health system was overwhelmed by sick people, but had very few effective remedies for the flu. Many people had to be cared for at home by family members and neighbours, although this probably helped the virus to spread. Many people died in their own home, some without receiving medical care.

Slow communication hampered government actions to deal with the crisis. Sometimes messages took three days to get from the government in Wellington to the medical people in Auckland dealing with the crisis. The virus travelled from the north to the south. Wellington council was probably late getting prepared, because they did not understand how serious the problem was in Auckland.

Economic statistics were not as extensive back then, but it seems that the economy recovered quickly. I presume this was because the economy was dominated by agriculture, which was largely unaffected, because the post-war world was desperate for food and clothing. The returning soldiers were absorbed into the workforce quickly and within a couple of years later land prices were booming (that was another tragedy, which seriously harmed many families).