The world was at war in 1918, and many governments had an incentive (more incentive than usual, let’s say) to shift the blame for a devastating disease to other countries.On 12 October, the satirical magazine Careta (Grimace) expressed a fear that the authorities would exaggerate the danger posed by this mere “ limpa-velhos” – killer of old people – to justify imposing a “scientific dictatorship” and violating people’s civil rights.in wonder at the sight of the Praça de Republic, the vast public space in the centre of the city, as empty as the moon.parents were used to surviving at least some of their children.

All refer to 1918 unless otherwise marked: Many of the references to the events of 1918 could equally be written about 2020. But also – in theory – making possible better exchanges of information. Plus, in 2020, the world is far more globalised, with more rapid and frequent travel potentially spreading disease more quickly. In 1918, the world was at the tail-end of a terrible war – in theory, making an effective response much harder than now. This has happened in 2020 with the coronavirus, too. One of the key lessons to emerge from Pale Rider is how in 1918 governments struggled to make the right decisions in response to the pandemic. She shows how the Spanish flu affected individuals and families. She tells stories from Rio de Jaineiro to Croatia, from Japan to Alaska, from the Transkei to Turkey.

But she brings that incomprehensible figure to life with accounts both of how the pandemic devastated communities. She says that the Spanish flu may have killed between 50 and 100 million people. “Pale Rider” is an account of one of the 20th century’s greatest cataclysms – and one directly relevant to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Laura Spinney’s book “Pale Rider” explores the Spanish Flu of 1918 and how it changed the world I recently had the privilege of meeting Laura Spinney, a British science journalist, and reading her 2017 book “Pale Rider – The Spanish flu of 1918 and how it changed the world”. “This is the greatest public health catastrophe in the US since the 1918 influenza, and the principal difference is that we knew enough to stop this from happening to this extent” – Barry Bloom, a professor of public health at Harvard University, on coronavirus.

The Spanish Flu of 1918 offers some interesting lessons and parallels as the world of 2020 struggles to contain the Coronavirus.

Laura spinney 1918