The reason why we are able to deal with Covid-19 at all is the Spanish flu epidemy of 1918 to 1920. The epidemy then resulted in certain measures and mechanisms that are being used to deal with any kind of virulent epidemic or pandemic. People forget, and what we get today are people who think that a pandemic is a hoax. It isn't.
History is the greatest teacher of all. The Spanish flu was the first pandemic humanity encountered after the invention of systematic science. It did help a bit with the virus then, but all other disciplines were still in their infancy. The death toll in the three waves of 1918 to 1920 is estimated to have been between 20 and 100 million people mainly aged between 20 and 40.
Why is there such a great span for the estimate? For one, the Spanish flu only got that name because Spain was neutral in World War I and didn't censor the fact that people were dying at an alarming rate. The world public took note when Spain's King Alfonso XIII got infected. The warring nations pretended that the virus was a Spanish problem and that they had no infection. General consensus today is that the virus originated in the USA. This gives us reason one for the span, most nations just ignored and suppressed data. Today's China syndrome was everywhere.
The definition when death is attributed to the virus itself varied from country to country. Like today, you can't compare any data from one country to another because the definition of the cause of death is different. Add to this the agenda of each government and political party in power. Winning the war against the virus is second to being acclaimed as the hero of the pandemic. No matter where you live, your politicians are incompetent and fraudulent.
The Spanish flu had less virulent predecessors in China in 1910 and 1916. In 1918, China contributed working men to the allied cause that were recruited in the provinces that had suffered the 1916 outbreak. They were transported to Canada and the USA. I'll leave the speculation to you. There is no virologic proof, as that science was only just starting to define itself.
In 1918, the US continued to send large contingents of soldiers to Europe on overfilled transport ships. The workings of epidemics were not fully understood by scientists, and science is the last thing that enters a military mind. Instead of collecting men who had recovered from the flu and sending them overseas, the military insisted on sending platoons as was; recovered, sick, and healthy. It probably cost several hundred thousand American soldiers their life.
And now, as we battle Covid-19, we have come full circle. The excuses of not knowing after 100 years of research and study do not hold water. Deniers of the fact of a pandemic are either too stupid to live or downright evil. Take your pick. That both pandemics have a link to China must lead to further research of Chines fauna and the virus collections they carry and Chinese eating habits. Eating the nests of swallows is a typical Chinese thing and might be an indicator where study groups should take a look. I am not saying that this will lead to any results, just that it might.
To give a short overview, let's just collect the relevant information. Pandemics happen, they are not hoaxes. Information about epidemics that might lead to a pandemic are suppressed on purpose by governments of all colors to keep up the illusion of competence. The free flow of scientific information will remain a myth for as long as the pharmaceutical industry can make a killing in sales. Ongoing information about a pandemic reflects governments policies, not real life.
Further reading
Robert Koch: With System Against Disease
What The Pharmaceutical Industry Doesn't Tell You
China Propaganda: The Long March
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