The 1889-90 flu pandemic in Greece: a social, cultural and economic history with lessons for the 21st century.

Abstract

The 1889-1892 influenza pandemic is the first flu outbreak that can be demonstrated to have been truly worldwide in scope. Its initial spread, along with the successive waves, coincided with an uneasy period of economic and political instability in Greece. Greek historians have largely ignored this outbreak in a national setting and have exclusively focused on the economic crisis and social unrest of that era. As in other countries, it seems that in Greece, too, the case fatality ratio was low, but morbidity and public health issues gained importance. Culturally, it triggered the creation of a new terminology around disease and proved an inspiration for satirical magazines. The economic distress of large parts of the population contributed to the design of health measures of only limited impact, with the press being the main source for dissemination of new health information. Despite being separated by 130 years, the 1889 influenza pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic share some striking similarities. They both spread across transport lines and were followed by spotty and multifocal subsequent waves, disproportionately affected the poorest and most vulnerable, and led to neologisms, strong public health debates, and shifts in employment habits and measures. As we move forward into the 21st century, it is essential that we are able to reflect on such shared trends over decades, which are true because of common and interactive co-determinants of infectious disease outbreak emergence and spread and our responses to them.