The
Reason
Behind
Naming
the
Spanish
Flu The
Spanish
Flu,
one
of
the
deadliest
pandemics
in
history,
was
a
global
outbreak
of
influenza
that
occurred
between
1918
to
1920,
causing
the
death
of
an
estimated
50
million
people
worldwide.
Despite
being
called
the
"Spanish
Flu,"
the
virus
did
not
originate
in
Spain.
So
why
was
it
named
after
this
country? The
primary
reason
behind
the
naming
was
due
to
miscommunication
and
propaganda
during
World
War
I.
Spain
was
one
of
the
few
countries
that
remained
neutral
during
the
war.
Hence,
they
were
the
only
country
that
allowed
uncensored
news
reporting.
As
a
result,
the
press
in
Spain
extensively
covered
the
outbreak
and
its
effects.
This
gave
the
illusion
that
Spain
was
the
worst
affected
country,
and
the
public
associated
the
flu
with
their
country. Furthermore,
the
first
recorded
cases
of
the
flu
were
reported
in
the
United
States,
but
the
government
suppressed
the
news
to
avoid
causing
panic
among
soldiers
who
were
fighting
in
World
War
I.
The
pandemic
coincided
with
the
end
of
the
war,
and
countries
were
cautious
of
reporting
the
illness
in
their
troops
as
it
may
decrease
morale
and
indicate
weak「研习更多 生肖属相合婚常识请关注 :姻缘网,WWw.imYInyUAn.Com〗ness. The
intentional
concealment
of
information
led
to
a
lack
of
awareness,
and
the
flu
continued
to
spread.
When
the
first
cases
occurred
in
France,
the
French
called
it
the
"English
Flu,"
while
the
Germans
initially
called
it
"Flanders
Fever."
Various
other
names
were
given
to
the
flu
based
on
the
origin
of
cases
and
were
widely
used,
causing
confusion
among
different
nations. In
conclusion,
the
Spanish
Flu
was
named
after
Spain
due
to
the
miscommunication
and
propaganda
by
various
countries
during
World
War
I.
This
naming
has
caused
confusion
for
future
generations,
and
we
should
remember
to
be
careful
with
naming
an
epidemic
based
on
location
to
avoid
unnecessary
stigma
and
blame.