User:Mzgatpdxdotedu/sandbox3

European Outbreak

The Spanish Flu spread quickly across Europe, with outbreaks occurring in different locations in quick succession. In a matter of months this influenza virus killed more people than any other pandemic in recorded history While it is widely accepted that the movements of troops during the first world war spread a considerable amount of the virus, commerce also played a role in the circulation of the disease as goods and currency exchanged hands, and were moved into and out of ports across the world. The flu evolved, and mutated as it spread, with secondary and tertiary waves of infection.

The 1918 virus did not only infect humans. It is believed that the disease also infected animals such as horses, cows and pigs, and also migratory and coastal birds . Due to the composition of the 1918 virus, it is thought to be a predecessor of the modern H1N1 virus. . During the first world war, virologists have confirmed that the British army, in order to feed the millions of troops, added wild ducks and geese into the soldiers meals, introducing the virus to human populations. The physical stress of combat combining with the unsanitary environment and exposure to chemical and bacterial agents provided the virus a perfect situation to incubate and mature. The specific origin of the initial outbreak has been debated to no consensus, however the genesis of the second wave is widely accepted amongst epidemiologists and virologists to be the harbor town of Plymouth on the southern coast of England.

Plymouth England

Plymouth has a long history of maritime activity, both commercial and naval. Today it is the site of one of the largest naval bases in the world The constant volumes of traffic permitted the virus to migrate freely around the region. It was there that the virus is thought to have mutated into a deadlier strain. This port was a part of regular routes between Boston, Massachusetts and Freetown, Sierra Leone. Spreading the contagion from Europe to ports in Africa and the United States. The Sierra Leone port city of Freetown was a stop on the way home for many of New Zealand’s returning soldiers, who then brought the Spanish Flu to the otherwise isolated island nation Plymouth’s port records also have shown that Plymouth and Davenport were common ports for the Chinese Labor Corps Thousands of migrant workers landed here before moving on to Kent by rail, promoting contamination that would soon infect destinations around Europe and the world. Between October of 1918 and April of 1919, the English population suffered 280,507 Spanish Flu fatalities.