An Australian perspective of the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic

Peter Curson and Kevin McCracken

Abstract

The 1918–1919 influenza pandemic stands as one of the greatest natural disasters of all time. In a little over a year the disease affected hundreds of millions of people and killed between 50 and 100 million. When the disease finally reached Australia in 1919 it caused more than 12,000 deaths. While the death rate was lower than in many other countries, the pandemic was a major demographic and social tragedy, affecting the lives of millions of Australians. This paper briefly assesses the impact of the pandemic on Australia and NSW with particular reference to the demographic and social impact and the measures advanced to contain it.

New South Wales Public Health Bulletin 17(8) 103 - 107 (2006) doi:10.1071/NB06025