Link Between 1918 El Niño and 1918 Flu Pandemic?
Research conducted at Texas A&M University questions the relationship between El Niño and the severe flu pandemic in 1918.
El Niño occurs when unusually warm surface waters form over vast stretches of the eastern Pacific Ocean and can affect weather systems worldwide. The 1918 El Niño was one of the strongest of the 20th century.
Also in 1918, the same H1N1 flu that’s threatening today sweeped the world and killed 25-100 million people. India was particularly hard hit by the flu, and “we know that there is a connection between El Niño and drought in India,” said Benjamin Giese, a professor of oceanography at Texas A&M. “It seems probable that mortality from influenza was high in India because of famine associated with drought, so it is likely that El Niño contributed to the high mortality from influenza in India.”
Could the events of 1918 foreshadow what might occur in 2009 and 2010? Giese said there are some interesting parallels. The winter and spring in 1918 were unusually cold throughout North America, just like parts of the U.S. experienced record cold this summer. That was followed by a strengthening El Niño and subsequent drought in India. With a moderate to strong El Niño now forming in the Pacific and the H1N1 flu strain apparently making a vigorous comeback, the concerns today are obvious, Giese adds.
