The casualty count of the First World War was immense – but it came to be dwarfed by the deadly Spanish flu pandemic that swept through the world during the conflict’s final year.
The virulent flu strain that emerged in 1918 infected up to 500 million people around the globe, its effects dramatically amplified by huge wartime troop movements. It eventually killed as much as five per cent of the world’s population.
Last month, we spoke to Shobana Jeyasingh about how the rapid spread of the flu virus inspires Contagion, a powerful new work touring in the Autumn. More details announced shortly.
Scroll down to hear the interview.
