Since the middle of the 1990s we have witnessed a boom in the number of research papers on the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-20. This renewed interest can to some extent be attributed to the increased pandemic planning efforts set off by the outbreak of Avian influenza 1997, that once again actualized the threat of a new pandemic. In comparison to the literature from the 1970s and 1980s it is foremost two major research agendas that have given us new and intriguing perspectives: The first is sparked by researchers that have re-created the virus responsible for the 1918-20 pandemic in laboratories. These new insights have started to give us clues to why the Spanish influenza was so lethal. The second important research agenda in recent years concerns the effects of nonpharmaceutical interventions (like school closures) for reducing morbidity and mortality during an outbreak of pandemic influenza. This issue has come to be of crucial importance for contemporary planners, who asks for evidence if it is possible to minimize the negative consequences of a pandemic by effective public health measures. In this session we especially invite papers which use individual-level data to analyze effects of non-pharmaceutical measures (like school closures, public gathering bans and isolation) and socioeconomic factors on morbidity and mortality, as well as papers that discuss local communities’ response to the Spanish influenza in more general terms. We also welcome papers which may contribute to the understanding of why this influenza was so lethal to young adults while other influenza seems to be most lethal to babies and old people.

If you are interested, please contact Elisabeth Engberg, elisabeth.engberg@ddb.umu.se