Expert On 1918 Outbreak Says Governments Have Learned

One of the most important lessons learned from the 1918 flu pandemic that killed tens of millions of people around the world is that when governments lie, people die needlessly, a leading expert on that World War I-era outbreak just told Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep.

John Barry is the author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, and is a distinguished visiting scholar at the Center for Bioenvironmental Research of Tulane and Xavier universities. (Barry's Tulane bio is online here.)

He told Steve that "in 1918, governments did not tell the truth ... The surgeon general of the United States said this was ordinary influenza by another name. ... Nothing to worry about if normal precautions are observed"

 

"The real impact of the advice, so-called, being given," Barry added, "was that it did cause people to lose any faith in authority. ... That in a lot of ways was the most terrifying part of the situation."

According to Barry, among the deadly ripple effects was an unwillingness among many people to believe anything the government said — which led to some healthy people refusing to help those who were ill.

"People were actually starving to death because their neighbors and sometimes their families were afraid to bring them food," Barry said.

How does he think governments are doing now?

"Not only the U.S. but the WHO (World Health Organization) has done a great job," said Barry. "Right now they're striking a pretty good balance" between not scaring the public and distributing important information. They've been pretty clear that the current outbreak is not now anywhere near as serious as that in 1918, while also advising the public that it makes sense to take some precautions — washing hands often, staying home if you feel ill, etc.

Steve's interview with Barry is due to be on tomorrow's Morning Edition. Go here to find an NPR station near you.