What We Can Learn from the 1918 Spanish Flu

By Cindy Williams, RN

Director, Health Ministries

There have been many comparisons made of the current COVID-19 pandemic with the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic. There are many similarities but also quite a few differences. As schools, churches, and other institutions reopen there is a concern that there will be a spike in both cases and deaths from COVID-19. Regardless of what you believe about the political baggage associated with this pandemic, there are many who have and will suffer from this disease and lives will be lost. COVID-19 is a real disease. So, can we learn from the Spanish flu experience?

The biggest danger during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was from pneumonia. Once a person developed pneumonia their chances of survival dropped significantly. It became apparent to medical workers that they had to prevent pneumonia from ever developing or they would not prevent deaths.

One institution that successfully managed the situation was the Hutchinson Seventh-day Adventist Seminary in Hutchinson, Minnesota. They made news by having 120 students and staff exposed and 90 individuals become ill, however, there were no deaths, and no one became extremely ill. The health officer of Hutchinson city stated that no public institution in the state had made a record like this.

How did they manage to have this kind of record? You can read it for yourself in the attached article from the Northern Union Reaper but here are the key factors: Complete rest and quiet for an extended period of time, no drugs, a carefully regulated diet, hydration, and hydrotherapy fomentations to the throat, chest, and abdomen. The article also acknowledges that God’s protecting care and blessing was over them.

In the coming weeks we will look at these factors in detail and how we can apply them to our situation now.

Article from Northern Union Reaper

This article is part of a continuing series of health during these COVID times. For other articles, please see www.uccsda.org/healthministries.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash.