1918 flu cities disparities

Chicago officials inspect street cleaners during the 1918 flu. (Bettmann via Getty)

Why the 1918 flu hit some cities harder than others

An evidence-based list of several lessons worth remembering in the time of coronavirus.

Eric Jaffe

Mar 12 · 10 min read

For years, it was commonly believed that the 1918 flu indiscriminately destroyed everything in its path. But subsequent research has found that, in fact, some cities were hit much harder than others — as were some urban populations within the same cities. With the novel coronavirus now officially a pandemic, and city leaders starting to act, it’s worth looking back to understand which factors made a difference in urban health outcomes during the last big outbreak.