A ‘Silent’ Pandemic? 1918–1919 Influenza Pandemic in Greece: Evidence from Hermoupolis, Syros

Abstract

Summary The 1918–19 influenza pandemic was the most lethal pandemic in contemporary history. Exceptionally high mortality levels were also found in Hermoupolis during the 1918 pandemic, for which very limited work is available in Greece due to the lack of population statistics. Mortality increased within every age group while the W-shaped curve was confirmed when age-specific mortality is plotted. In particular, young adults and adults experienced the largest excess mortality, while short increases occurred among the very young and elderly due to their pre-existing high mortality risk most likely due to the aftermaths of the 1916–17 naval blockade in parts of the country. Finally, the limited references to the pandemic in the Athenian press—no qualitative sources are available in Hermoupolis—suggest that the Greek government may have attempted to conceal the extent of the pandemic because of the turbulent situation in the country at that time.