Russian Flu 1889

About Russian Flu 1889

The Russian Flu pandemic of 1889 to 1890 was one of the first pandemics to occur in the era of rapid global transportation. The pandemic spread from the Russian Empire across Europe and the Americas via railroads and steamships. It was first reported in Bukhara in May 1889 and reached Saint Petersburg in the autumn, New York by December, and circled the globe within 4 months. The pandemic killed approximately 1 million people. For decades, the causative agent was debated. Some researchers believed it was influenza, while others suggested it might have been a coronavirus. Molecular clock studies dating the emergence of human coronavirus OC43, which now causes common colds, to around 1890 have led some researchers to propose that it caused the pandemic. The question remains unresolved, but it makes the 1889 pandemic a debated potential historical parallel to COVID 19. The rapid global spread demonstrated how modern transportation accelerates pandemic transmission.