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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums1918 World Governments Lied & Censored Coverage of Flu Virus -Eventually 56 million people died.
In 1918, governments worldwide lied about the flu, and censored coverage of it to avoid depressing morale, just like Trump is doing. Eventually 56 million people died.The first wave wasnt that bad. In the spring of 1918, a new strain of influenza hit military camps in Europe on both sides of World War I. Soldiers were affected, but not nearly as severely as they would be later.
Even so, Britain, France, Germany and other European governments kept it secret. They didnt want to hand the other side a potential advantage.
Spain, on the other hand, was a neutral country in the war. When the disease hit there, the government and newspapers reported it accurately. Even the king got sick.
So months later, when a bigger, deadlier wave swept across the globe, it seemed like it had started in Spain, even though it hadnt. Simply because the Spanish told the truth, the virus was dubbed the Spanish flu.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/02/29/1918-flu-coronavirus-trump/
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1918 World Governments Lied & Censored Coverage of Flu Virus -Eventually 56 million people died. (Original Post)
kpete
Feb 2020
OP
empedocles
(15,751 posts)1. Great historical perspective. Thank you
dchill
(38,532 posts)2. Trump, Pence: History, shmistory.
appalachiablue
(41,171 posts)3. K/R Take note, Spanish Flu killed 50 mill, more than both WWI & II
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)4. It's not only him, other governments are lying as well.
I give South Korea the most credit at the moment. I heard something yesterday, about Italy possibly changing the way they will count cases.
Ghost Dog
(16,881 posts)6. Yes. Italy will only test those who present with symptoms
from now on.
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)7. My son is on base in Qatar, he went to Doha a couple weeks
ago to what sounds like a theme park inside a mall. I hadn't really discussed CV with him, until now. He wants to leave base to go again, because they haven't been restricted from leaving yet. I just unleashed all kinds of crazy information on him, he must think mom has finally lost it. I did convince him not to leave for now.
livetohike
(22,163 posts)5. Including my Great Uncle at 25 years old. He came to America from
Austria/Hungary to attend seminary in IL. His sister, my Grandma came over in 1921 (to PA) and didnt see his grave until the 1970s.