Flu epidemic strikes

March 24, 2017

1918 Spanish influenza ward. National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP (Washington, DC), Wikimedia Commons

1918

The Spanish flu (influenza) — so-called because of the mistaken belief that it began in Spain — was brought to Canada by troops returning from the First World War. Between 1918 and 1919, it killed about 21 million people worldwide, including approximately 50,000 Canadians (almost the same number as had died in the trenches during the war). The flu killed the young and healthy, and reached into the most remote parts of the country. The epidemic wiped out families, orphaned children and caused social and economic hardships. The country could not meet the demand for services and quarantine. This was a key reason behind the creation of Canada’s Federal Department of Health.

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