Almudéver Campo Laura, Camaño Puig Ramón E
Centro de Salud Malvarrosa. Valencia. España.
Facultad de Enfermería y Podología. Universidad de Valencia. Valencia. España.
Rev Esp Salud Publica. 2020 Oct 2;94:e202010114.
The 1918 influenza epidemic was an event of great social and health resonance, which caused high morbidity and mortality in the population. The rapidity in the development of symptoms, the extension to very large groups of the population and the lack of knowledge of the causative agent, were the factors that, added together, made the flu a major public health problem. The objective of this study was to review, through the Spanish written press, of the public health measures adopted as a consequence of the influenza epidemic of 1918.
A selection of the Spanish press was carried out through the Digital Newspaper Library of the National Library (HDBN) of Spain, from January 1, 1918 to December 31, 1920; and the concept "flu" was searched, selecting those units of analysis that made reference to the public health measures adopted during the flu epidemic of 1918.
The newspapers analyzed reported the public health measures adopted by the health authorities of the different countries in order to reduce the spread of the epidemic, such as the closure of schools and the postponement of the opening of the academic year, disinfection of premises, quarantines, isolation, suspension, popular celebrations, disinfection and hygiene, border control, suspension of communications by train, as well as the creation and use of different vaccines and serums to immunize the population.
The poor management of the epidemic could be one of the causes of the great impact of influenza in the first half of October 1918, as the decisions of the administration to promote public health measures were adopted with some delay.
1918年流感大流行是一个具有重大社会和健康影响的事件，在人群中导致了高发病率和高死亡率。症状发展迅速、波及极大量人群以及对病原体缺乏了解，这些因素加在一起，使流感成为一个重大的公共卫生问题。本研究的目的是通过西班牙书面媒体回顾1918年流感大流行后采取的公共卫生措施。
通过西班牙国家图书馆数字报纸图书馆（HDBN）对1918年1月1日至1920年12月31日的西班牙媒体进行筛选；搜索“流感”这一概念，选择那些提及1918年流感大流行期间所采取公共卫生措施的分析单元。
所分析的报纸报道了不同国家卫生当局为减少疫情传播而采取的公共卫生措施，如学校关闭、学年开学推迟、场所消毒、检疫、隔离、暂停民众庆祝活动、消毒与卫生、边境管控、火车交通停运，以及研发和使用不同疫苗与血清来使民众免疫。
疫情管理不善可能是1918年10月上半月流感造成巨大影响的原因之一，因为政府在推广公共卫生措施方面的决策有些滞后。
