The Pandemics: Blame, fears and prejudice.

(Covid-19 "heatmap".  John Hopkins research)

Pandemics for the most part are indescrimate, as the virus spreads through country to country infecting everyone and anyone, rich, poor, young and old, whoever comes in contact with the disease.  It also, at the same time, sows the seeds of a very unique human trait of misinformation, confusion and blame.  When the 1919 Spanish flu tore through the countries  of Europe, America, Asia and Australia, with a brutal ferociousness after World War One.   It was the secrecy that occurred from the allied front lines, that suppressed the amount of infantry men that were falling sick to what appeared to be the seasonal flu, not appearing weak in front of the Germans, the news of a new type of influenza was not disclosed.  In 1918, when troops began returning home to their countries, they brought back the virus, which most fell ill to whilst serving.  In turn quickly spreading throughout cities and towns of Europe.  When the virus hit Spain, a neutral country during World War One, without a wartime censorship program enforced onto its media, the Spanish press was able to inform the public of this new influenza outbreak.  The Spanish, who initially downplayed the virus outbreak as no apparent “deaths”, informed Reuters in London, of what was believed to be a mild, yet “strange” flu which had surfaced in Madrid.  Within the next week, over hundred thousand people had been infected by this new strain of flu.  By 1918, the flu had spread throughout all of Europe, with the English press blaming the Spanish weather for exasperating the onset of this pandemic, hence the name "Spanish Flu". 

However the flu which first originated on the Western Front during WW1, which, some historians suggest was brought into Europe by Chinese workers, who formed the Chinese Labor Corps.   With over 25,000 labourers from China who dug allied trenches, unloading of supplies from trains, laying down rail-tracks.  To which at the time, began to feel unwell, with over 2000 thousand of the workers ending up in medical quarantine due to flu like symptoms.  Before the war ended hundreds of the Chinese Labor Corps had died.

The Allies high command saw this as a "Chinese" disease, which contributed to the misinformation at the time.

In 1919, the flu had spread to American via Canadian sailors stationed at Boston Harbour, quickly infecting hundreds of thousands throughout the United States.  This fuled a blame towards the immigration policy, to which anti-Italian (and other nations) sentiment arose, blaming the poor European immigrants crammed into tenement buildings in some of the major cities.  There was also a Jewish backlash, with conspiracy theories circulating  on why some of Jewish communities were not becoming as sick. However no one was spared, but some closed off communities, like religious Jews weren't hit as hard, due to their isolation and strict requirements in washing hands before handing foods and rewashing hands after religious food preparation.

It has been estimated that the Spanish Flu killed over 50 million world wide.

Misinformation, conspiracy theories and blame have risen once again with the Covid-19 virus that has sweep the world in 2020. Regardless of origins and the reasoning that this virus has occurred.  Pandemics have always and will continue to happen throughout human history, the coronavirus and influenza viruses are not conscious or emotional beings, however they are a throw back to evolution.  Micro-organisms looking for a host, they cannot survive on their own, they are at times, using a humancentric term, self destructive.  Although not intended, the virus ends up killing themselves and the host. The lock downs and social isolation are essential, to slow the virus so that a vaccine can be tested and rolled out as soon as its available.  Staying calm, avoid the mania and prejudices, whilst maintaining good hygiene (hand washing). 

Most of all, is to endure.  Which is uniquely a human power.