Altru to host movie about Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19
Oct. 7—GRAND FORKS — A movie about the Spanish flu, "Influenza 1918," will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, at the Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers. Admission is free.
Presented in conjunction with the event sponsor, Altru Health System, the film follows the story of the virus that spread across the country, and was commonly referred to as the "Spanish flu." It was the worst epidemic in American history, killing about 675,000.
From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish flu infected about 500 million people worldwide, about one-third of the world's population at the time, and killed about 50 million globally. More Americans died from the Spanish flu than the casualties in World War I and II, the Korean War and Vietnam War combined, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
By comparison, as of April, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been blamed for more than 1.1 million deaths in the U.S. As of May, the coronavirus has led to more than 6.86 million deaths worldwide.
A description of the film noted, "In September of 1918, soldiers at an Army base near Boston suddenly began to die. The cause of death was identified as influenza, but it was unlike any strain ever seen. As the killer virus spread across the country, hospitals overfilled, death carts roamed the streets, and helpless city officials dug mass graves. It ... disappeared as mysteriously as it had begun."
Holly Benjamin, who chairs Altru's immunization committee, said that the historic Spanish Flu pandemic "has been on our minds in the health care setting for many years."
"In 1918, they didn't have ways to treat influenza," Benjamin said. That pandemic "was so very detrimental, worldwide and in the U.S."
She and others in health care fields worked to bring the film to this community because they want to show why people need to be vaccinated, she said. Health professionals are seeking to raise awareness and promote vaccination "so people know how devastating (a pandemic) can be."
As flu season approaches, health care systems are urging everyone to get vaccinated, Benjamin said, thereby "keeping people healthy and out of our hospitals, and able to lead their daily lives."
Advances have been made in RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Vaccine, and a COVID vaccination update has become available, she said. But in the last few years, "vaccine uptake and acceptance has declined, so we just want to spread awareness" about the importance of getting vaccinated.
As for the disappearance of the Spanish flu, viruses are known to "mutate and adjust, depending on what's going on with the population and the environment," Benjamin said.
For more information about vaccines and upcoming flu shot events, visit
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