Responses to Disease in Britain Since c.1900 (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

The 20th century saw the arrival of two deadly illnesses in Britain. The first arrived in 1918, just as the First World War was coming to an end. It was a strain of influenza known at the time as the "Spanish flu". Its spread throughout the world was caused by millions of soldiers returning home from Europe to places such as America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The response of the British government was criticised. In 1919, the Ministry of Health was set up to ensure more effective national action in future medical emergencies.

The second was Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which led to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS ). The first reported case in Britain was in 1981. There was misinformation and rumour about how it spread, causing alarm and panic. This time, government action was widely praised and helped to reassure people and prevent prejudice.

The Spanish influenza outbreak

• The influenza epidemic in 1918-1919 killed around 50 million people worldwide

  • It killed 228,000 in Britain

• It is believed that it was brought to Europe by Chinese labourers who travelled to France to work in First World War Army camps

  • It spread rapidly amongst troops who lived and slept in close proximity to each other

  • When the war ended in 1918, infected soldiers then took the sickness with them on troop ships all across the world

  • The first cases to be reported in Europe were in Spain, which is why it became known as the "Spanish Flu"

Symptoms of the "Spanish Flu"

• Sufferers of the "Spanish flu" started with:

  • Headaches

  • High temperatures

  • Aching limbs

• Most people recovered shortly after, but a significant number of people developed pneumonia

• This left them struggling to get enough oxygen

  • It killed people very quickly

• Unusually for an influenza epidemic, it was most deadly to people aged between 20 and 40

  • Scientists believe this was due to their stronger immune systems overreacting and actually damaging their bodies

  • Most people in the military at that time were in that age group

Responses to the "Spanish Influenza" outbreak

• Britain was still at war when the outbreak occurred, which may have affected the response

  • The national government was criticised for reacting too slowly and for taking too little action

• There was no Ministry of Health in 1918

• Most responses to theflu outbreak happened on a local rather than national level

  • Local health responses included:

    • Closing theatres and swimming pools

    • Banning large gatherings

• There was no cure for "Spanish flu", so authorities concentrated on encouraging preventative behaviour

  • This included avoiding crowds and ventilating homes

• The Ministry of Health was created in 1919,

  • This was partly to ensure a more coordinated national response to future epidemics

AIDS

• In 1981, five men in Los Angeles, USA and one man in London, UK, died suffering from a new medical condition that confused and alarmed doctors

• The condition weakened the immune system of infected people

  • This left them vulnerable to dying from other infections

• The first six victims were all gay men

  • The condition was initially called Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome or GRIDS

• By 1982. scientists had worked out that the condition spread through sharing infected blood or body fluids

  • It was renamed Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS

• It was established beyond doubt that the condition was not limited to or related to the gay community

• AIDS can be spread in several ways:

  • Sexual contact with an infected person

  • Blood transfusions with infected blood

  • From an infected person through the umbilical cord to a child in the womb

  • Sharing needles with an infected person

Responses to AIDS

• The initial response to AIDS was fear, panic and homophobia

• Newspapers spread panic, referring to a "Gay Plague"

• There were fears about whether AIDS could be spread through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or from toilet seats

• People began to refuse blood transfusions after it was reported that people in Britain had acquired AIDS from them

• In 1985, the Royal College of Nursing predicted that over a million British people would have AIDS by 1991

Government Action

• The widespread fear of AIDS and predictions of large numbers of infections led the government to take decisive action

  • All blood donations were screened for AIDS

  • Free tests were provided at hospitals

  • An enormous public information campaign was launched that involved television adverts and leaflets being posted to every home

  • The 'Don't Die of Ignorance' was extremely effective at both informing and reassuring people of the facts about AIDS

• The impact of the government campaign was enormous and levels of infection never reached anywhere near the predicted million people

  • By 1995, around 12,000 British people had developed AIDS

Changing Attitudes

• When Diana, Princess of Wales, shook hands with a man suffering from AIDS in 1987, many people saw that people with AIDS should not be feared but cared for

• The death of rock star Freddie Mercury in 1991 also led to changes in attitudes

  • Freddie Mercury died of AIDS

  • A tribute concert and release of a charity single raised more than £20 million

  • People had become more compassionate and less fearful of AIDS