The Spanish Flu - a deadly postscript to WWI - started at a US military base
Military Times • • health
Key Points:
- In the spring of 1918, American soldiers at Camp Funston, Kansas, experienced the first cases of a deadly influenza virus that quickly spread through military camps and transport ships, leading to a global pandemic.
- The 1918 influenza pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, including about 43,000 U.S. service members, and caused a dramatic 12-year drop in average life expectancy in the United States.
- The U.S. military responded by developing an influenza vaccine, first mandated for troops in 1945, with the mandate fluctuating due to vaccine effectiveness and antigenic shifts of the virus.
- The influenza vaccine mandate was reinstated in the early 1950s and remained in place for over 70 years, contributing to lower hospitalization rates among military personnel compared to the general U.S. population.
- On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the immediate end of the military’s flu vaccine requirement, marking a significant change in Department of Defense health policy.
