Pacific islands which escaped the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic and their subsequent mortality experiences

2012/05/08 by G. Dennis Shanks, John F. Brundage · 1 citation
Medicine · Environmental Science · #Travel-related health issues #Climate Change and Health Impacts #Influenza Virus Research Studies #Pandemic #Influenza pandemic #2019-20 coronavirus outbreak #Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) #Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) #Virology #Pandemic influenza #Geography #Human mortality from H5N1 #Influenza A virus #Medicine #Virus #Outbreak #Infectious disease (medical specialty) #Disease

paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s0950268812000866

openalex publication_date 2012/05/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Very few Pacific islands escaped the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. Subsequent influenza epidemics in the established colonial outposts of American Samoa and New Caledonia infected many but killed very few persons whereas the extraordinarily isolated Niue, Rotuma, Jaliut and Yule islands experienced high mortality influenza epidemics (>3% of population) following 1918. These dichotomous outcomes indicate that previous influenza exposure and degree of epidemiological isolation were important mortality risk factors during influenza epidemics on Pacific islands.

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