The Impact of the Spanish Flu Virus on Global Population

The Spanish Flu, caused by the H1N1 virus, emerged 101 years ago and affected 500 million people worldwide, resulting in the death of between 50 to 100 million individuals, which accounts for about 5% of the global population. The virus demonstrated the importance of spreading to survive but not being too deadly to ensure ongoing transmission. The successful replication of the flu virus relied on living in numerous hosts without causing mass fatalities to ensure its own survival.