Remember the Hong Kong flu?
Those of you who were alive at the time probably remember the phrase, as I do.
And that’s just about all I remember about it. I was no child, either; I was in college, going about my business, and my business regularly included large gatherings – huge classrooms, the occasional concert, meeting, a restaurant or two, and even parties.
I never considered changing a thing about my life because of that flu, and neither did anyone else I knew. It was something we heard about that was so far in the background as to be nearly meaningless to us. And yet the Hong Kong flu – named back in the days when it was okay to label viruses with their points of origin, although apparently this one may have been misnamed because it may have originated in China (so, what else is new?) – was quite deadly to much the same demographic groups as COVID and perhaps even in similar numbers per capita:
The Hong Kong flu (also known as 1968 flu pandemic was a flu pandemic whose outbreak in 1968 and 1969 killed an estimated one million people all over the world…
The first recorded instance of the outbreak appeared on 13 July 1968 in Hong Kong. (There is a possibility that this outbreak actually began in mainland China before spreading to Hong Kong, but this is unconfirmed.) By the end of July 1968, extensive outbreaks were reported in Vietnam and Singapore. Despite the lethality of the 1957 Asian Flu in China, little improvement had been made regarding the handling of such epidemics…
By September 1968, the flu had reached India, the Philippines, northern Australia, and Europe. That same month, the virus entered California, carried by returning troops from the Vietnam War, but did not become widespread in the United States until December 1968…
In Berlin, the excessive number of deaths led to corpses being stored in subway tunnels, and in West Germany, garbage collectors had to bury the dead due to insufficient undertakers. In total, East and West Germany registered 60,000 estimated deaths. In some areas of France, half the workforce was bedridden, and manufacturing suffered large disruptions due to absenteeism. The British postal and train services were also severely disrupted…
In comparison to other pandemics of the 20th century [meaning 1918 and 1957], the Hong Kong flu yielded a low death rate. The disease was allowed to spread through the population without restrictions on economic activity, until a vaccine became available four months after it started.
The H3N2 virus returned during the following 1969/1970 flu season, resulting in a second, deadlier wave of deaths. It remains in circulation today as a strain of the seasonal flu.
A couple of especially interesting points: (1) the virus was allowed to spread unchecked in the US (2) it is now endemic; and (3) a vaccine was available in 4 months. The latter is a reflection of the fact that flu vaccines are regularly developed, so it is ordinarily much easier to come up with a vaccine for a new strain than to make and test a vaccine for a non-flu virus. But another thing of interest – to me, anyway – is that I never learned of this vaccine at the time, never thought a thing about a vaccine or getting vaccinated, and to the best of my knowledge never had a flu shot at all until perhaps eight years ago. I would guess that today’s flu shots probably contain protection for the Hong Kong flu, among others (I know that H1N1 is in there, for example).
The US death toll for Hong Kong flu from the period from July 1968 until the winter of 1969-70 is estimated at about 100,000, with most of the dead being in the over-65 group. This was in a population numbering about 201,000,000 at the time. So corrected for today’s population, the death toll would have been the equivalent of around 163,000. This is well within the range of the expected COVID deaths, and perhaps even somewhat high, although we don’t know yet. And from the way things are looking, COVID will probably take around the same range of people with or without the sort of social controls we’ve put in place in an effort to control it, as the data from Sweden appears to show.
I know that some of my readers were alive and sentient (barring a couple of lost weekends) back in 1968-1969. Was your experience similar to mine?
During 68-69 I was in the Army in Alaska and Korea. I have no memory of the HK flu except for the name. It certainly did not dominate the news. My family back in the (lower 48) states made no mention of it, either.
How times have changed.
I was in college when the 1957 “Asian flu” hit. A bunch of us were in bed during fraternity rushing. We mer rushees while in our beds. Nobody thought anything of it.
I was in my mid-teens at the time. I only remember the term Hong Kong flu, not anything else out of the ordinary!
I remember the Hong Kong flu, but thought little about it. We were 23 at the time and our first child was born in May of that year. So being first time parents and making a comfortable living kept us occupied. I never thought about becoming seriously I’ll until I came down with H1N1 which put put me in ICU for 5 days with bacterial pneumonia.
I started getting annual flu shots in 2010.
I was in high school at the time and don’t recall any flu going around. By the time this started, Bobby Kennedy was in his grave and most things going on in the world (‘cept for ‘Nam of course and maybe the Democratic Convention in Chicago with Daley’s cops beating heads) were pretty much background noise.
Granted, those were the days when news was what was on the TV at 530 pm and Walter Cronkite or Huntley-Brinkley. As a teenager, those were people only of interest to my old fashioned mom and dad who wouldn’t miss old Walter as they sipped their single nightly cocktail. If it wasn’t news to them, it was not news to me.
I was only 8 but I was sick and missed school for 2 weeks; I was told I had the Hong Kong Flu. But in retrospect, who knows if it really was? I caught a different flu the year before; same symptoms. I thought that was just part of life…
I have two couple friends of mine who were quite sick (all in their 60’s)–one in LA end of January; the other set upon returning from a week long visit to NYC early March. Both have sworn they knew they had it-symptoms similar to the myriad of Covid19 symptoms. Both got tested last week. Nope; just another of the bugs going around.
I am now in the age group where I take Covid19 very seriously and I am taking precautions (masks, gloves, cleaning everything I buy-being very careful with my mail) but seems much ado about nothing in younger groups. I think this is just a part of life…
I was in my second year as an airline pilot and 36 years old when I caught it in 1969. I was as sick as I had ever been with a cold/flu. I was okay after about two weeks, but became fatigued more easily for another two weeks. After that year the airline asked that we get flu shots every year. I got them, but hated them because I always got a two day case of flu, which was irritating. After I retired, I quit getting flu shots, but since my colon cancer surgery in 2016, I’ve been getting them again.
My wife and I have been completely cold/flu free this winter. And it’s the first winter in a long time that we haven’t taken a trip to some exotic locale or a cruise. It has dawned on me that travel in airplanes, ships, buses, etc. are all perfect places to catch something contagious. We may never travel again, but if we do, we’ll be taking many of the precautions we have learned with the COVID-19.
I was in my late 20’s. Repairing office machines I was in & out of offices all day.
Got the HK Flu ( I supposed – no “Test”- was there a test?).
Really felt bad – very bad – sent my wife who had probably never done such a thing, to the store for a “Fifth” (before metric) of the least expensive whisky she could find. I drank it all, slept for about 12 hours & woke up feeling pretty good. Went back to work the following day.
Recommended? I dunno.
I graduated from high school in ‘69 and don’t remember hearing anything about it. At that age I don’t think that I would have worried much anyway.
I got out of college in 68 and moved to Philly that summer. I don’t remember hearing about it.
BTW, my new friends and I ate in Chinatown regularly.
I remember ’68: RFK murdered by Sirhan Sirhan, MLK murdered by James Earl Ray.
LBJ “loses Walter Cronkite” and decides not to run. Later In nightly news Vietnam – the Tet Offensive.
George Wallace leaves the Dems and runs for President and takes enough Dem votes so HHH (Hubert Humphrey, who my folks voted for) loses to …
Richard M. Nixon!
Apollo 8 – second 3-person crew launched in December. All space missions by that great voice of … Walter Cronkite.
Hong Kong Flu – wha’ dat?
Ya, I heard that name before. Not a big story in a big story year.
Yeah Tom…I remember those first 2 killings…RFK & MLK…
’68-’69 I was 6 then 7 and I remember lining up with my classmates for various vaccinations that I think we got for free.
I also remember the world stopped every time Apollo launched. It was the coolest thing in the world (at least my small chunk of it)
Democratic Convention of ’69…and the riots in Chicago…what we saw on the evening news, mostly my parents’ reaction to that & their distrust of the Viet Nam War…Dad was a vet so he was “if we’re gonna fight let’s fight like hell, win & get out.” What we were doing he didn’t think was good. I do remember him explaining that to me.
And I do remember hearing about a bad “flu” (whatever that is to a 1st/2nd grader) and being reminded often to wash my hands & not cough/sneeze on anyone or eat/drink after anyone…As a kid…who knows what my memory really remembers?
But that…yes.
2nd year of college, didn’t give it a minutes thought.
In college, have no memory of that flu season.
I was drafted into the army in May of 1968. Perhaps it was not having ready access to the news, but I don’t remember hearing anything about the Hong Kong flu. I don’t think the army was concerned \\ since I don’t remember any sort of precautions being taken by them.
I had completed the first year of law school and with no further deferment had to enter the service. I do not recall any of my family, friends or fellow service members contracting that flu.
I remember it well: I had it, and was so sick I left my bed only to go to the bathroom. I was 14 at the time, and all I remember being able to do was read, propped up with pillows in bed. I was out of school for a week, but read all of Alex Haley’s Airport.
Geoffrey Britain (8:29 pm) said: “2nd year of college, didn’t give it a minutes thought.”
Nor did I, in graduate school. I was aware of the assassinations and of the police riot at the Democrat Convention in Chicago, but like Geoffrey Britain, I “didn’t give it [the Hong Kong flu] a minute’s thought.” Hell, I didn’t even give the upcoming 1969 Woodstock music-n-drugs festival a minute’s thought.
My looming comprehensive exams were important. The Hong Kong flu was *not*.
I’m a young sprout relative to this cohort (born in 1980) and my husband was born in the fall of 1969. Both of his parents travelled extensively for work in the late sixties. We have bushels and bushels of their letters to each other filled with discussions of news of the day. I don’t recall any mentions at all of the Hong Kong flu.
Same as you, Neo.
Interestingly, though, I read that some people say that their college classes were cancelled or they remember work spaces being sanitized. While that is possible due to a local public health response to an outbreak, I think those are false memories. There was, as others have said, some background noise (an AP story on page 5 of the newspaper, once; 20 seconds on the evening news, once, etc.), but this did not feature in my college experience at all. Of course, none of my classmates or their parents were over 65.
What I definitely remember is that we did NOT commit economic suicide in 1968-1970.
According to my mother the Hong Kong flu nearly killed me (15 at the time). I was too sick to know this. Worst illness I’ve ever had, bar none. So yeah, I sort of remember it, though the details came largely second hand.
I was 12, and have no memory of it at all. The first I remember hearing of it was when the idea of a returning 1918 flu hit the popular culture, and I read scary Laurie Garrett books.
I was 14, grew up on the Jersey Shore well within the bounds of the NYC Media Metroplex & I don’t remember hearing anything about a HK flu from anyone anywhere.
It just didn’t register.
I don’t remember anyone getting sick from it & I certainly don’t remember anyone dying from it.
And apparently the HK flu killed over 100,000 Americans that year.
So what’s this Wuhan flu shit storm all about now?
In 68/69 I would have been 23/24. Thinking back now I do believe I had, at some point in those years, a very bad flu that ended up as my first tussle with bronchitis.
I was bombing the f@#k out of VN and could give a rat’s ass. All I wanted to do after those 12 hour flights from Guam was sleep and read Playboy.
Thinking about the timing. I went to Basic at Ft. Dix in NJ Feb of 69. For years, possibly decades I figured all those guys from all over brought their own bugs. Formation sounded like a bunch of barking seals.
I have no idea what was Army SOP so I have no idea if they did anything differently than usual.
I can think of two things. One is that each company wore a colored tag on their field jacket. They were different colors and were used to make sure companies were not in the same facility–mess hall, PX, etc. at the same time. Since each company had arrived at a different time, we were in different phases of getting over and getting immune to the bugs. No sense mixing.
And we had sneeze shields. They were half targets, human silhouettes from the waist up. We scored them at the appropriate points with our bayonets and used clips to make an item which went under the mattress and about two feet above it for use while sleeping.
But there were lots of guys with really bad URI which, had we known, might have been the HK thing. Or not. Five guys in my platoon of forty had to be recycled after recovering from meningitis. One guy in my squad bay of eight guys got it. None of the rest of us did.
The Army had an orientation film about disease which emphasized cleanliness of facilities and personal hygiene. This was an old one, not just run up for the winter. Cleanliness and hygiene don’t preclude all illnesses but they do reduce the frequency.
All of the above said, I don’t recall hearing the name or that anything we were doing was out of the ordinary.
I do recall the Asian flu being discussed in maybe ninth grade or something. That’s all.
I do not recall any special social or political or legal efforts in any way. Previously, polio fears kept a lot of people away from crowds in the summers and I recall that more clearly than the various flu bugs, although I was quite young. Polio was scary. Everybody knew what an iron lung was, and some of our classmates had these big clunky braces on their legs. Or weren’t there at all in September.
I was a first year Middle School teacher. I remember nothing about it, although the name Hong Kong flu sounds familiar. Nor do I have any memory at all of the big pandemic of the late 1950s.
I was in the Navy then and in 1968 we were deployed to beautiful SE Asia, AKA Vietnam. We made a port call in Hong Kong and nobody was concerned about catching the flu. I still remember going to the China Fleet Club. As far as I recall nobody got the flu but lots of sailors got VD. The corpsman was really POed. Everybody had been warned about the VD in Hong Kong and given condoms. We used to joke that you are supposed to use the head on your shoulders before you use the one in your trousers.
Summer of ’75 I was a USNA midshipman in Japan. On the way back, we rejoined classmates who were in Subic Bay, in the Philippines. A couple of them did have VD, plus very interesting stories about what talented girls could do with various parts of their, and your, anatomy.
After ’68, my grandmother thought, and said “we should mine Haiphong Harbor, and nuke Hanoi”. I didn’t think she was right, but understood you can’t win fighting against commies unless you’re fighting to win.
Today I believe that had the USA mined Haiphong and been ready to be more assertive, the ’74 Paris Peace would have held up enough to allow Nixon (/Ford) to bomb the peace violating N. Viet invaders in ’75 and save S. Vietnam. And stop the commies from winning there, or in Cambodia – and thus stop the Killing Fields.
I’m pretty sure the Russian communists were active in support of US Democrats against Nixon, and quite willing to do dirty tricks and illegal actions to get rid of him. But Tricky Dick was also not innocent, so was far more vulnerable than either Trump or Flynn.
I graduated from high school in 1968. Have no memory of any “Hong Kong flu.” But that’s not what I’d like to comment on in this post. We are not allowed to call the current flu the “Wuhan virus” or “Chinese virus.” If we do we are shamed and ridiculed! NEO has used “Covid19” in describing the current virus. I don’t think she has buckled under the pressure of the fear of being shamed I think the left wing media has simply won this one small bit. I myself use Covid19 and ask myself WHY? Well i’ve decided what ever I hear the most … that’s the term i’ll use. I know this may be a little picky but it does show that even when you disagree with the media or politician that their tactics do sometimes work.
What has changed that we will allow the tactics of shame and ridicule to work?