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Volume 18, Number 1—January 2012
Research

The 1918–19 Influenza Pandemic in Boyacá, Colombia

Gerardo ChowellComments to Author , Cécile Viboud, Lone Simonsen, Mark A. Miller, Rodolfo Acuna-Soto, Juan M. Ospina Díaz, and Abel Fernando Martínez-Martín
Author affiliations: Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA (G. Chowell); National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (G. Chowell, C. Viboud, M.A. Miller); George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA (L. Simonsen); Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Delegación Coyoacán, Mexico (R. Acuna-Soto); Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Boyacá, Colombia (J.M. Ospina Díaz, A.F. Martínez-Martín)

Main Article

Table 2

Main epidemiologic features of the 1918–1920 influenza pandemic*

Location Herald wave in 1918 Excess mortality rate from respiratory illness/10,000 population, main 1918–19 wave (mo of peak pandemic deaths, 1918) Death-sparing effect among elderly persons Reference
Americas
New York, USA Yes (Mar–Apr) 52 (Oct–Nov) Yes (1)
Mexico City, Mexico Yes (May) 47 (Nov) No (3)
Toluca, Mexico Yes (May) 162 (Nov) No (3)
Boyacá, Colombia No 40 (Nov) No This study
Lima, Peru Yes (Sep–Oct)† 29 (Nov) No† (4)
Iquitos, Peru No 288 (Nov) ND (4)
Europe
Copenhagen, Denmark Yes (Jul–Aug) 39 (Nov) Yes (6)
Paris, France No 61 (Oct) ND (7)
Basque Provinces, Spain Yes (Jun) 121 (Oct) ND (19)
Madrid, Spain Yes (Jun) 53 (Oct) Yes (7)
Asia
Taiwan No 67 (Nov) No (8,20)
Singapore Yes (Jul) 78–180 (Oct) ND (9,20)

*Data from quantitative studies across different locations around the world. Locations are organized by continent (America, Europe, Asia) and latitude. ND, not determined.
†Cannot conclude because of lack of age-specific population data.

Main Article

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