mcclaike.

deadly influenza.

In 1918, there was an influenza epidemic that swept across the world. It was first seen in US soldiers, and led to a massive pandemic in a short amount of time. About 80% of the US army casualites in WWI were attributed to influenza infections, and approximately 25-37 million people around the world died in only 18 months!

To put it into perspective: World War I led to the deaths of 9 million people in four years. AIDS has killed 25 million people worldwide in the past 25 years. BUT…the 1918 influenza epidemic killed 20-100 million people in 1.8 years!