Deadly Influenza Waves

The 1918 influenza epidemic proved to be both highly contagious and deadly, with a mortality rate significantly higher than seasonal flu. A staggering 28% of Americans were expected to be infected, leading to the tragic loss of 675,000 lives. Uniquely, the virus disproportionately affected young adults aged 20 to 40, devastating families and communities just as they began to recover from earlier waves of the outbreak.