The Role of Community Participation in Combating Spanish Flu 1918: A Major Take Away to Contain COVID-19

Abstract

The Spanish Influenza Pandemic became the most catastrophic disease infecting about 500 million people all over the world during 1918 to 1920. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide. It was caused by HINI Virus that originated in birds and mutated to infect humans. Now a century later the world is amidst another worst pandemic caused by Zoonotic disease transmitted from wild life to people, a novel Corona Virus known as SARS – COV-19. The laid-back approach of the ruling dispensation (British Raj) in controlling the Spanish Flu of 1918 had resulted in untold misery, deprivation and deaths. In India alone more than 15 million people lost their precious lives and millions of workers were rendered jobless and lost their livelihoods. The apathy of the government, poor medical infrastructure and overcrowded cities created a fertile ground for mass infection and deaths. The COVID-19has emerged in a entirely different scenario in India. The pro-active government, vastly improved government medical apparatus, greater communication network and effective community participation geared up to combat the disease more effectively and to minimize the loss of lives and livelihood in 2020. The major take-away from the pandemic in 1918 was the role of community participation in identification of diseases through Rural Medical Centers, supply of cooked food, contact tracing, testing, treatment, and the quarantine for the infected people. The rural communities played a stellar role in minimizing damages caused by the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. The government efforts will bear fruits only if they are channelized through rural communities. This research work attempts to highlight the importance of community participation- a major take-away from Spanish Flu pandemic in controlling the present pandemic COVID-19.