Reader TTS

Coronavirus fears have led Prime Minister Boris Johnson to put the UK in lockdown – amid concerns the public did not take the deadly outbreak seriously enough. There have been more than

6,600 cases so far, of which 335 people have died and 135 now confirmed as being virus free. To combat the outbreak’s rapid infection rate, “extreme totalitarian” measures have been put into

place. No longer are Britons able to freely roam the streets – after Mr Johnson instructed that journeys outside should only be made if they were “absolutely necessary”. Previous plans to

stem the spread of the coronavirus included self-isolation, social distancing and more regular hand-washing. But according to accounts from a pandemic of the past, that may not be enough to

kill off the coronavirus.  Since the spike in coronavirus cases across the globe, many have drawn parallels between our current outbreak and that of Spanish Flu. Spanish Flu wreaked havoc

before the end of World War 1 January 1918 and lasted until December 1920 – wiping out a quarter of the world’s population.  It was considered one of the worst outbreaks to hit humanity and

led to the deaths of between 50 and 100 million people. In the current crisis, nearly 400,000 people have been infected with coronavirus – causing more than 17,000 deaths and the recovery of

over 103,000.  There are many theories as to why Spanish Flu was able to strike down so many during its peak – most notably, during the second of three waves to hit.  The majority of deaths

happened to young people, according to John M Barry, author of ‘The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History’ He told Express.co.uk: “The peak age for death was 28

and the elderly escaped almost entirely. Well over 90 percent of excess mortality was people under 65. “It's likely their immune systems over-reacted, and many died for that reason,

although probably a majority of deaths came from secondary bacterial infections.” JUST IN: CORONAVIRUS CRISIS: HOW YOUNG PEOPLE COULD BE AT GREATER RISK Writing about one specific example of

where the preventative measures failed, Mr Barry believed it was due to lack of cooperation. In 1918, civilians were barred from army camps so that soldiers could be quarantined as they

re-entered the country.  It was hoped that through this that anyone “showing symptoms would be isolated and whole units quarantined if several soldiers were ill”. Nearly all of the camps

carried out this measure – a reported 99 of 120 –  but because “most became sloppy” as time went on there was little difference between those that “did and did not follow orders”. While it’s

hoped that the implemented quarantine procedures will help to cull coronavirus outbreak – Spanish Flu shows that it requires all of our society to participate for it to work.  As history

often teaches us, the fate and future of humanity is truly in our own hands.