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The influenza pandemic of 1918 was such a major event that officials, historians, and the media still compare current influenza and other disease upsurges to that of 1918. Later dubbed “The Spanish Flu/Influenza”, it reached across the world infecting somewhere around 25 percent of the world, and killing between 10 and 20 percent of those infected (Baltimore Sun). In the entire United States about 1.76 percent of the population became infected by influenza in 1918; Maryland was about average to the country with a 1.8 percent infection rate however, Baltimore was higher [see below] (Health Dept. of Baltimore).

Reports of The Spanish Flu start as early as 1913, and the current “outbreak” of influenza, H1N1, is believed to be a strain of the old virus (Baltimore Sun). The peak year is, without a doubt, 1918, so that year will be the focus year for this report. While focusing in on influenza in Maryland & Baltimore we can break the year into two timelines, “pre-epidemic” and “epidemic” (MD Board of Health). Between January & August 1918 the flu was not yet prevalent, and there was no significant increase in death from disease, 190 out of every 100,000 died from either the flu or pneumonia [a complication from influenza]; however, in the “epidemic” period from September to December 1918 saw an increase of over 3 fold to 684/100,000 totaling at 1,741 for the city that year (Health Dept. of Baltimore). Of the total death rate in Maryland, The Spanish Flu [and not pneumonia] accounted for 14 percent (MD Board of Health).

October saw the worst of the death. By early September a “sharp outbreak” of the flu occurred at Ft. McHenry, Camp Meade, and other military camps outside of Baltimore (MD Board of Health). The amount of troops that died in military camps from the flu in October alone, nearly matched that in the entire year of combat fatalities (Baltimore Sun). Consequently, because of the close relation to the military camps nearly 24,000 residents and non-residents [people living in Baltimore for less than a year] reported having The Spanish Flu during the epidemic period (MD Board of Health).