Spanish Flu Indigenous

About Spanish Flu Indigenous

Indigenous populations suffered disproportionate mortality during the 1918 Spanish Flu. In Labrador, approximately one third of the Inuit population died. Some communities lost over 90 percent of their members. In Samoa, approximately 22 percent of the population died in 2 months, the highest national mortality rate in the world. Western Samoa was devastated while American Samoa, which implemented strict quarantine, had zero deaths. The contrast is widely cited as evidence of the effectiveness of maritime quarantine for island populations. In New Zealand, Maori died at roughly eight times the rate of New Zealanders of European descent. Similar disparities were seen in Australia with Aboriginal populations. The high mortality in Indigenous populations reflected lack of prior exposure to respiratory viruses, underlying health disparities, poor nutrition, crowded housing, and limited healthcare access. These same disparities were replicated during COVID 19, with Indigenous populations experiencing disproportionate impact. The 1918 pandemic contributed to the demographic and cultural devastation of Indigenous communities worldwide.