With the outbreak of COVID-19 across Montana and the world, we thought we’d take a look back at another pandemic which massively affected the people of Montana, just over 100 years ago. In 1918, an H1N1 influenza epidemic swept across the world, infecting an estimated one-third of the world’s population, and killing around 3-5% of the world population at that time – more than died in World War One. 675,000 people succumbed to the illness in the US. The virus killed so many people that the life expectancy in the US actually dropped by 12 years.
The 1918 pandemic featured a “W” shaped curve in its mortality rates by age, that is a number of infants and children under 5 died, followed by a dip, then an alarmingly high number of adults aged 25-40, followed by another dip, until another rise in the elderly claimed more lives.
This 1918 flu which was often referred to as the “Spanish Flu” because Spain was neutral in WWI and the press was able to openly report on the outbreak in Spain, while in war-torn areas of France and England, the press was under gag orders and not able to report on the wrath of the influenza from those areas (something like ¾ of the French Army came down with the illness). Across the Atlantic, Americans were only hearing the reports of the illness from Spain, and thus it was known as the Spanish Flu.
In Montana, 2,654 people died of the flu - around half a percent of the total population. Adjusted for today’s population, it would mean 5,261 deaths, or around the number of COVID-19 deaths
in Italy as of March 22 – which so far has been one of the hardest hit countries on Earth.
The 1918 plague occurred in two phases, hitting initially in the spring in Fort Riley, Kansas, amongst the military recruits. This initial outbreak was followed by a second, much more deadly outbreak in the fall of 2018.
In the current crisis, many have complained about the pre-emptive closures to sporting events, schools, and businesses. These closures are not without precedent – in early October of 1918 the Montana Board of Health ordered the closure of all schools, theatres, churches, and political rallies (1918 was also an election year). These closures lasted for around six weeks.
Billings did not immediately comply with the school closure order, as they didn’t have many cases of the flu at the time of the state order. Cases climbed quickly, hitting 527 by October 19th. Billings finally closed down on October 20th. Eventually an estimated 12,000 in Billings (around a third of the population) became ill by the time the flu ran its course, in 1919. Billings would have 170 deaths in all.
In other parts of the area, 48 people in Thermopolis became ill after kissing a bride at her wedding.
In Ismay, Montana, an entire family was stricken with the illness, with both parents and two children perishing from the virus. Another child was found alive in the house – the child was taken to a nearby ranch to recover. The family’s stock was dying of starvation, and signs of malnutrition were evident with the humans. The family was withered by illness to the point that no one could take care of the animals, or themselves.
The virus eventually ran its course. Schools would re-open, cutting their winter break to only Christmas Day and New Years Day, in order to make up time. The also added additional time each day, in order to make up their work. Sports would kick back off. People would move on with their lives.
The current coronavirus pandemic differs greatly in incubation period, mortality, ability of public health officials to respond, and in many other ways from the 1918 flu, so a direct comparison is ill advised. Yet, some parallels exist, and hopefully we may learn some lessons from the century old pandemic. Interestingly enough, those areas which were proactive in closures saw lower rates of death. Butte was one of the last locations in Montana to shut down events in 1918. In 2020, it was one of the first, cancelling their famous St. Patrick’s Day events. Perhaps memories of the 1918 flu live on in the memories of stories once heard.
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