Spanish Flu - the Queensland experience

What can we learn from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920?

Patrick Hodgson's 2017 thesis, "Flu, society and the state: the political, social and economic implications of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Queensland", explores the historic experience of Queenslanders through official records and first hand accounts. The discussion on how the virus is spread, government response, economic impact, and the effect on everyday Queenslanders draws a striking parallel to our current experience with COVID-19. Dr. Hodgson identifies problems in aligning response strategies between the three levels of government, and discusses the spread of the virus through the free movement of the population despite the closure of schools, hotels and businesses. This thesis is a must read for all who have an interest in the present influenza pandemic. 


Hodgson, Patrick George (2017) Flu, society and the state: the political, social and economic implications of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Queensland. PhD thesis, James Cook University.

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© The State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland) 2020

Tune in to ABC The Drum this Wednesday, 1st April 2020, to hear Dr Hodgson speak about this important piece of research. For this and many other relevant dissertations, search the records in Research Online at JCU.


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