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1918 influenza pandemic likely spread via US military camps

scienceApr 21, 20261573

A March 4, 1918 influenza case at Fort Riley, Kansas preceded explosive outbreaks at U.S. Army camps, including the large 1918 epidemic at Camp Sherman, Ohio. Crowded training camps, barracks, and troop ships moved infected soldiers to embarkation ports and to Europe, where mass mobilization amplified transmission across continents in 1918. The pandemic killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people worldwide, demonstrating how wartime troop movements transformed a local military outbreak into a global catastrophe.

Key Highlights

Fort Riley, Kansas reported an influenza case on March 4, 1918.
Crowded U.S. Army camps and troop ships spread the virus domestically and to Europe.
The pandemic killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people worldwide.
3 sources
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govThe U.S. Military and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919nps.govThe Influenza Pandemic of 1918 at Camp Sherman (U.S. National Park Service)kumc.eduThe Influenza Pandemic and The War

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