More than a century ago the world was shaken by the presence of a deadly epidemic known as the “Spanish Flu“. This outbreak lasted for around 2 years in the 19th century, to be precise in 1918-1920. In the history of world health, this outbreak has had a significant impact. This epidemic is one of the epidemics that contributes to the high death rate of the world’s population.
This epidemic attacks humans at a young and adult age. This plague claimed around 50 million lives and a third of humanity from all over the world was affected by this deadly plague. The Spanish flu or influenza epidemic has claimed around a third of the entire human population, causing changes in the way of life in society. Not only does this pandemic attack health, it also affects political stability and damages the social economic order on a large scale.
Apart from the spread of this virus being very virulent and easily contagious, significant population mobility due to political needs, people’s lack of attention to health and cleanliness of their living environment was also a factor in the rise of the Spanish flu epidemic. This essay will discuss how the Spanish flu epidemic spread. By explaining the impact of this outbreak. And how the Spanish flu could damage the order of human life in all parts of the world.
The Spanish flu which came and then spread in various countries around the world was thought to be due to human economic activity entering various countries. At that time, merchants could only enter the Dutch East Indies region by sea and arrived in the Dutch East Indies at the port. Traders who wanted to carry out economic activities spread the deadly influenza virus to several regions which resulted in the largest epidemic in the world.
How could it not become a pandemic that would shake the world, this very deadly influenza virus has the ability to spread very violently. With the situation at that time where there was busy economic activity which triggered a lot of international travel, giving rise to dense environmental conditions for humans in the Dutch East Indies. The dense environmental conditions that occur make it very possible for physical contact between humans to emerge, thereby facilitating the spread of this virulent influenza virus to all humans in the Dutch East Indies region. Society also experienced a lack of education about health in that era.
The rapid spread of the Spanish Flu had a negative impact on human life. Especially in the economic and health fields. The situation in various countries is getting worse, how could the Spanish Flu not infect around a third of humanity throughout the world. The Spanish Flu was the biggest crisis facing humanity in the health and economic fields
When this deadly virus occurs, of course the public is required to comply with health protocols to prevent continued transmission or spread of the virus. The implementation of health protocols has become stricter, starting with the use of masks, washing hands with running water, and a lockdown. All efforts are being made to prevent an increase in the number of people infected by this deadly virus.
Because the spread of this virus was very violent and the increasing number of people affected by the Spanish Flu resulted in the cessation of activities involving crowds and crowds, this is where the biggest crisis facing humanity began. The existence of quarantine and isolation policies and other policies caused the cessation of economic activity in the Dutch East Indies.
Starting from the increase in the number of people infected with the Spanish Flu, then many people quitting their jobs, not only that, there was bankruptcy on a large scale in industry due to zero workforce and no economic activity. The policy of isolating society had the impact of reducing the level of public consumption so that producers experienced a decline in productivity and ended up going out of business. The post-pandemic economic condition is also worrying because it has an impact on all countries, resulting in long-term impacts on economic recovery.
The Spanish flu not only attacked the economy but also health. This virus was declared the world’s biggest health crisis. Everything has been done by the government and health authorities to prevent an increase in the number of people affected by this virus, however, with the very strong spreading power of this virus, it is rapidly infecting millions of people. About 50 million people died and a third of humanity on earth was infected with the Spanish Flu.
The occurrence of the Spanish Flu coincided with World War I. Where the war soldiers were struggling to bring victory but unfortunately several war soldiers were infected with the Spanish Flu, of course this could contribute to an increase in deaths. The soldiers, soldiers who fought in the war were some infected by this vicious virus which had an impact on their performance. The lack of medical personnel during the war resulted in untreated war victims. Of course this causes political instability in a country.
In conclusion, restrictions on community activities, stricter implementation of health protocols and the emergence of anxiety are common things that occur during this outbreak. Economic activities that create crowds and trigger congested environmental conditions are things that support a drastic increase in the Spanish Flu.
By: Callysta Nur Aqilani
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
