Flu a Bigger Killer Than War in 1918

摘要

IN THE AUTUMN OF 1918, there were two big killers in the world. World War I, which would claim 20 million lives by its end, and a flu pandemic, which killed at least 50 million people worldwide. The Spanish flu struck an estimated 500 million people, nearly a third of world's population. The average lifespan worldwide dropped by 12 years. American combat deaths in World War I totaled 53,402. But about 45,000 American soldiers died of influenza and related pneumonia by the end of 1918.