The Spanish flu in the city of Rijeka and its surroundings: The public impact and the image of the epidemic

The Spanish flu, one of the worst epidemics in history, appeared in 1918, on the eve of the end of the World War I. The characteristic of the epidemic on the territory of the city of Rijeka has poorly been studied. Certainly, the lack of primary sources such as hospital registries have made more difficult the understanding of the incidence and the course of the epidemic in the city. Therefore, death certificates have emerged the main primary source. The purpose of this presentation is to explore and describe mortality caused by (Spanish) flu during 1918 and at the beginning of 1919, using death registers for those living in the area of the city centre and surrounding parishes. The results of the Spanish flu mortality research in the area of Rijeka are compared to the Spanish flu specific mortality in the territory of three parishes situated in the wider area of Rijeka – Brseč, Mošćenice and Lovran. The elucidation of the characteristics of the Spanish flu epidemic and its impact on the quotidian life in the city of Rijeka is possible by the analysis of daily newspapers as well. In this paper, we have explored such articles in the La Bilancia, Rijeka's newspaper in Italian.