New Zealands Greatest Epidemic - "The Spanish Influenza"
Over 8,500 New Zealanders died.
While you sit around crying over your Vanilla Mocha Latte's and complaining about government actions restricting
your lifestyle during the Covid outbreak, spare a thought for your grand-parents and in some cases Great Grandparents, who experienced the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.
To put this into perspective, at the time of writing Covid has reportedly killed 2,055 New Zealanders (6.5 million worldwide)
between Mar 2020 and Oct 2022 {from JHU CSSE COVID-19 Data}. Horrible numbers for sure, the cases are still occurring and our
hearts go out to all affected by this.
The Spanish Influenza, however, killed around 8,500 New Zealanders and may have been responsible for the deaths of up to 100 million worldwide, and this all happened in a little over 12 months.
For the sake of accuracy, the 1918 influenza pandemic was commonly referred to as 'the Spanish flu', but it did not originate in Spain. It was named the Spanish Flu by journalists of the popular press when the Spanish King, Alfonso XIII, fell seriously ill with influenza in May that year.
An early example of "fake news" by the Journo's and proof that as a society we have learned very little in this regard in the last 100 years - but that's another story….
Influenza has been documented since 412BC and occur with an average of 3 pandemics every 100 years. Last century 1918, 1957 and 1968. The biggest killer of these was 1918.
Early 1918 a new form of influenza appeared in New Zealand, but it was relatively mild and caused no alarm. This was like earlier influenza outbreaks 1890, 1907, 1913, and it followed the same patterns as reported outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere late 1917 thru to early 1918.
In North America however, a reported outbreak in Kansas Jan/Feb 1918 was the first signs of something different, with deaths reported at Camp Funston March 1918. This variant had a faster (and more damaging) attack rate than normal influenza.
The disease spread from the army camp in Kansas where soldiers took the disease to Europe where it was documented early April as a serious infection in an army transit camp at Bordeaux.
By May it was reported throughout Euro-Asia and Japan, and by June, influenza was reported in many towns and cities across Europe. By July it had reached South America and India,
September it had reached Africa, and October troops had taken it back to Central America.
In October the pandemic reached New Zealand where it peaked late November with flu cases subsiding late December 1918.
There were initial reports that the disease arrived in NZ with returning soldiers on the RMS Niagara, however subsequent studies have revealed other potential sources. How it arrived can be argued, but the result was devastating, it decimated our population.
New Zealand suffered about 8,500 deaths out of a total population at the time of 1.15 million, or a mortality rate of 7.7 per 1000 people. Māori were hit harder with a mortality rate of 42.3 per 1000.
Everyone was personally affected one way or another and special restrictive measures were imposed as the death rate rose sharply.
Deaths did not occur evenly, with some communities decimated. Māori communities hit hard were Mangatawhiri in Waikato and Panguru with 50 deaths per 200 people.
There were exceptions and in Māori communities on the East Coast of North Island the mortality rate was much less than the National Averages.
People became depressed as it was not just a matter of months but rather years before all the adverse effects of the epidemic were overcome. Many people were treated for the 'flu by being wrapped in cotton wadding and flannel. At the time there was a lot of discussion and disagreement as to the correct way to treat the influenza patients. Families were left isolated in their houses for days, only collecting bread and milk after it had been delivered. People became too afraid to visit for fear of catching the disease.
By the November the influenza epidemic in Auckland was peaking, with Auckland having approx. 2000 deaths alone.
It then spread rapidly south causing an alarming rate. By mid December it had begun to decline.
The outbreak occurred at a most inopportune time, as servicemen with severely lowered powers of resistance were returning to New Zealand and over 500 nurses and 228 of the country's doctors (an enormous proportion for the country), were still abroad on military service. Much of the medical care fell to volunteers and many paid with their own lives.
On October the 31st, the Mayor of Auckland Sir James Gunson, held a special meeting in the coun cil chambers to form a committee to take what action as deemed necessary to help sufferers and to also cope with the epidemic. The Citizens' Committee, the Women's National Reserve, the St John Ambulance Brigade and Association and the Central Relief Committee gave indispensable services during November, providing care, attention, transport and food for the ailing.
To avoid wasting time the city was divided into 22 blocks, with each doctor being allocated a special area. The drastic shortage of hospital accommodation was relieved by the establishment of six temporary hospitals in schools and halls. Hotels and boarding houses assumed the aspect of hospitals as so many of the guests and members of the staff were affected. Even the Ellerslie racecourse was fitted up as a convalescent home. Inhalation chambers set up in various parts of the city were of doubtful value but were well intentioned.
A macabre sight was to be seen at Victoria Park and the Domain's Band stand being temporarily used as a mortuary, until Dr J.P. Frengley assistant district health officer, acted under the powers contained in section 50 of the public Health Act,1908, making an order "requiring all bodies of persons who have died from influenza or its complications to be buried forthwith." Special trains were provided to carry the bodies out to Waikumete Cemetery for burial.
There were very few volunteers to help. This was particularly noticeable in Auckland during the first week of November, and many complaints about selfishness appeared in the newspapers. However, the minority soon began to work together, exposing themselves to infection, coming across sorrow and destitution in their daily work. Schools in the Auckland district were closed from November the 5th to after the Xmas holidays. Places of entertainment, cinemas, billiards rooms, public halls and shooting galleries soon became prohibited to all ages. Hotels were among the last places to come under special jurisdiction, they did have restricted hours but were finally closed by Dr Frengley on November the 13th for only three days. Wellington also followed with the same type of restrictions. People engaged in public services suffered heavily during the epidemic. Seriously depleted staff reduced public transport such as buses and ferries to a bare minimum and even led to the temporary termination of the suburban railway service. The telephone exchange and post and telegraph offices, were under very strained conditions as they continued to serve the public. Mail deliveries were maintained throughout. Other offices and factories either kept going with minimal staff or found it expedient to close down temporarily, diverting those not stricken to assist in the nursing of their ailing co-workers.
Further reading can be found in a very interesting book by Dr Geoffrey Rice called 'Black November' which traces the origins of the epidemic and describes the ways in which the cities and the small country towns of New Zealand, each coped with the widespread illness and distress.
Also citied in this article is the 2006 report 'Death by Numbers' by Wellington School of Medicine & Otago University