This BBC post takes a look at Spanish Flu, in the wake of WWI and its impact on the USA’s demography, spreading to one fifth of the global population. With many now fearing that Ebola is the modern retake of the 1918 H1N1 strain that killed so many, there are strong comparisons between the two: both shook the world. If we want to take a look at the deadliest outbreaks of Influenza, as well as the other forms of contagion that we will study, take a look at this blog post which allows you to trace the death rates and areas of contraction over time.
One of the key questions that we should consider is whether Influenza is preventable, like Ebola now – with the US admitting it was a mistake that led to its transmission to a healthcare worker in Texas. How would Pale Horse, Pale Rider work without the threat of flu? Does the book require the idea of contagion, if we consider the idea of mental illness?
Maisie