> Was the spanish flu actually that bad Yes. > was it actually a fairly bad flu that wreaked havoc on a war-torn population? No, because those affected worst

> Was the spanish flu actually that bad Yes. > was it actually a fairly bad flu that wreaked havoc on a war-torn population? No, because those affected worst by it were young adults in relatively good health. Small children and the elderly were proportionally spared. The prevailing theory for why Spanish flu killed more healthy young adults was because it was an over-reaction of the immune system itself that was most harmful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm It is definitely the case that the war led to many young adults being moved around the world and kept in close quarters, which certainly exacerbated the spread and effect of the pandemic.