Implications of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic (1918–1920) for the History of Early Twentieth-Century Egypt

Abstract

The "Spanish influenza" pandemic that struck Egypt in fall 1918 resulted in the death of eleven out of every one thousand people. Despite the mass suffering caused by the pandemic, it has been largely ignored by historians. I describe how the Egyptian public health service was unprepared for a major health crisis because resources were redirected to serve military needs. Rural and poor Egyptians were particularly vulnerable as war food policies failed to meet their stated goal of ensuring a consistent and affordable supply of commodities; by summer 1918 conditions had deteriorated to the point that food riots and wheat famines were reported throughout the country. I conclude by raising questions about the impact that the pandemic had on the political situation in Egypt, arguing that the government's inability to manage the crisis contributed to pressures underlying the 1919 nationalist uprising.

The 1918–20 Influenza Pandemic

“…The other countries in the continent that were less exposed to the pandemic through troop movements or not linked with port cities through rivers and railroads (mostly the countries in northern and central Africa) were less affected (Gewald, 2007). A recent study (Rose, 2021) has estimated the death toll in Egypt between 138,000 and 170,000, about 1 per cent of the total population. 21 Egypt was important for the British military for mobilising human and natural resources for the war against the Ottoman Empire.…”