The influenza virus
The Spanish Influenza virus was an unusual virus in the sense that its victims were mostly young, healthy adults, as opposed to children, and the weak and elderly, whom would have had weaker immune systems. Modern research has concluded that the virus killed it’s victims through something called a cytokine storm—in other words, it caused the immune system of the body to overreact.
This would explain why those with strong, healthy immune systems were actually more at risk.
Some of the bodies of those who had caught the Spanish Influenza turned black, not because of the influenza itself but because of pneumonia. A common result of the Spanish Influenza was that it made its victims susceptible to other deadly diseases. It was not uncommon for people to catch the Spanish Influenza, and then pneumonia, and eventually die.
The disease was indiscriminate, to make matters worse—anyone could catch it because no one was immune.
Symptoms of the Spanish Influenza were sore throat, dizziness, muscular aches and pains—which are the same as symptoms of the average flu or cold. The symptoms weren’t that alarming, and no one was expecting such a deadly disease to occur in the first place (everyone’s thoughts at the time were mostly on World War I). Hence, the Spanish Influenza managed to catch the world by surprise.
Also, no one knew that much about the Spanish Influenza at the time. They knew it was a virus, but they did not know where it came from or why a second wave had developed in the first place. There were no vaccines for it.
These reasons all contributed to the large death toll caused by the Spanish Influenza.
Although there is a strong possibility that the second wave of the influenza was carried to New Zealand via one of the many ships visiting it in October, no one is a hundred percent sure how the second wave of the Influenza developed in New Zealand in the first place.
There are two other possibilities that have been considered.
First, it is possible that the second wave was a “deadly hybrid” of the first wave. It is thought that the type of influenza virus that came from the overseas ships may have been mild, and the type of influenza virus prevalent in New Zealand may have been mild, but when they combined together, a whole new deadly second wave was created.
Another possibility is that the second wave was a deadly mutation of the first. In other words, the existing virus may have adapted and mutated to become more potent during time, and perhaps the mutation had been helped along by the poor weather conditions at that time in New Zealand, during the months of October and November.
The one thing that is known for sure is that the two waves are said to have been virally related to one another.
There are two other possibilities that have been considered.
First, it is possible that the second wave was a “deadly hybrid” of the first wave. It is thought that the type of influenza virus that came from the overseas ships may have been mild, and the type of influenza virus prevalent in New Zealand may have been mild, but when they combined together, a whole new deadly second wave was created.
Another possibility is that the second wave was a deadly mutation of the first. In other words, the existing virus may have adapted and mutated to become more potent during time, and perhaps the mutation had been helped along by the poor weather conditions at that time in New Zealand, during the months of October and November.
The one thing that is known for sure is that the two waves are said to have been virally related to one another.