The influenza pandemic that broke out among soldiers and civilians during World War I was devastating, claiming between 50 and 100 million lives worldwide. Not only was the death toll unprecedented, but the victims of the flu differed significantly from those in the general population who had normally died from influenza and pneumonia. The graph at right, showing the “terrible W” shape of flu deaths, illustrates that difference. (Specific death rate refers to a method of calculating mortality rates from a specified cause.)

Question to Consider

What was the difference among victims of the flu pandemic during and immediately after World War I and those who had died of flu before the war? Why was this difference so alarming to officials and ordinary people alike?