The diffusion of influenza in sub-Saharan Africa during the 1918–1919 pandemic

The ever-present danger of the resurgence of the agent or agents that caused the pandemic could result in a much greater disaster in Africa and other Third World areas if unabated by effective inoculation programs.

Abstract

The focus of this study is the spread of influenza in Africa south of the Sahara during the pandemic of 1918-1919. Most known types of diffusion pattern, i.e. radial, wave-like and linear, have been identified; however, the disease spread to rapidly that four particularly devastating linear patterns stand out. One of the most incredible aspects of the regularity in epidemic velocity along these pathways was that the colonial transportation network was of fairly recent origin. Given modern transportation linkages, the ever-present danger of the resurgence of the agent or agents that caused the pandemic could result in a much greater disaster in Africa and other Third World areas if unabated by effective inoculation programs.