It was generally referred to as the Spanish influenza, an epidemic that spread rapidly throughout the world during 1918, including Fiji.
This flu which struck the country more than 100 years ago was a sudden and severe hit longer than the earlier epidemic of 1890.
In the book ‘Lady of the Lantern,’ information from the Fiji Legislative Council paper from 1919 stated that many cases were complicated by severe pneumonia and bronchial effects.
Persistent high temperatures lasted from nine to 10 days and the severity of the complications resulted in deaths from acute toxaemia.
“The influenza, it was accepted in review, gained admission to the colony by the call of the SS Niagara in October 1918,” the book read.
However, according to New Zealand history, SS Niagara was only one of the dozens of ships that arrived with returning soldiers and war invalids from Europe and North America during that time in New Zealand.
According to a journal article titled ‘The 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Western Polynesia,’ by Phyllis Herda, the union steamship company steamer SS Talune was permitted to leave Auckland in October 1918 and sailed towards Fiji and Western Polynesia.
The ship had left on October 21 and arrived in Suva for the first time on November 4.
Before its arrival, news had already been received by the then-British colony of the deadly influenza virus.
“However, the steamer was only placed under a partial quarantine with cargo and passengers allowed on shore,” Herda wrote.
“Several of the crew of the Talune were reportedly ill with the flu when they arrived in Fiji.”
The crew were examined by the chief medical G.W.A Lynch who later reported the following: “There were six actual cases on board, I saw the cases, and with Dr Paley came to the conclusion there was nothing special about them. We put the passengers on board in quarantine. The passengers for Suva were well and were allowed to land. Some of these passengers have since developed influenza.”
Herda stated the medical department had denied the arrival of the 1918 strain and preferred to believe that Fiji was less susceptible to its migration and introduction than elsewhere diagnosing it as a ‘simple’ influenza with no special precautions.
“Significantly, stricken Fijian stevedores who had unloaded the ship were allowed to return to their home villages located up the Rewa Rewa river.
“By November 6, it was acknowledged that Suva had numerous cases, but it had not apparently developed the serious features of what is known as “Spanish influenza” and was evidently the New Zealand variety.
“A day later while reporting the mounting deaths elsewhere in the world, the Fiji Times and Herald misguidedly reassured its readers that the ‘flu among them was not the worst sort certainly.”
This claim went on throughout the early days of November and the administration stated that it was far from the ‘Spanish influenza’ and that everything was going well in the colony.
“They perpetuated this claim despite the deaths in the Colonial Hospital of two of the Fijian dockworkers who had serviced the Talune.”
With the death of six more Fijians who had been in direct contact at the wharves and of another seven who sailed on the SS Atua and died in Sydney, the administration was forced to enter reality.
On November 18, 1918, governor C.H Rodwell sent a telegram to the secretary of state that officially reported the outbreak of the epidemic and that the deadly flu was among them.
Rodwell’s telegram stated: “Between 400 and 500 cases at Suva, and many officials down. Among Europeans and Indians, the disease appears so far to be taking a mild form, but among Fijians, there have been several deaths and the situation may become serious if the infection spreads to villages. All reasonable precautions being taken to prevent this.”
However, the case was different, as the flu had spread to the interior parts of the island across Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.
Herda said this forced the colonial administration to make quick decisions to contain the deadly virus that was taking lives.
“Public pressure mounted for the closure of cinemas, restaurants, cancellation of public gatherings, including church services and belatedly, the imposition of a strict maritime quarantine.
“The measures, however, proved more palliative than preventive and the ‘flu quickly swept through the colony.
“Only the more remote islands — the Yasawas to the west and Rotuma to the north — escaped the pandemic altogether, as local shipping ground to a halt.”
According to a short report by Dr H Marshall who was the acting medical superintendent of the Makogai Leper Asylum during the epidemic, Levuka suffered heavily from the infection following SS Talune’s visit.
The asylym was located on a small island and the nearest port was Levuka by 18 miles.
“At that time it had a population of about 400 persons: 350 patients with leprosy and 50 personnel,” Dr Marshall stated.
No cases of influenza occurred at the asylum until August 1919 despite constant trips made to Levuka for supplies.
“By virtue of the quarantine restrictions which the government has in force regarding the island of Makogai at all times, an efficient quarantine against influenza was carried out easily.”
He added how a resourceful planter who owned a large plantation at Taveuni was able to keep his district free of infection by enacting an efficient quarantine.
“Although the districts around him were infected heavily, the area which he isolated remained free from infection until long after the peak of the incidence of infection of the epidemic had been reached.”
The Lady of the Lantern book added that the flu outbreak was among a population of 163,972 in Fiji.
“Within the swiftness of a fortnight, a subsequent telegram informed that for the town and district of Suva, there were 3000 reported cases with 120 deaths, including three Europeans.
“A week later the toll had reached 280 deaths including 12 Europeans.
“The situation in country districts developed to the grave position with the provincial and plantation hospitals struggling to cope.”
By the end of December 1918, 470 had not survived but the full extent of the toll was accounted for under a survey for the two-month affliction.
“The final accounting reported by the Governor was a total of 8145 deaths, made up of 69 Europeans, 76 half-casts, 2552 Indians and 5154 Fijians with 293 others.
“In the more densely settled parts of the colony, the same similar type of strain prevailed, but in the native districts, where the population was scattered, there seemed to have been a less virulent type with a lower death rate.”
During this time of peril, families suffered and in villages, there were times when hardly a single villager was physically well enough enough to assist in supplying food to patients.
There were around 500 volunteers who assisted in visiting the sick and supplying medicine, food and supervising their transfer to the hospital.
“The dead were removed to the cemetery, usually by a special detail squad and toured the villages.
“Depots were set up to distribute soup, arrowroot or sago.
“Volunteers did excellent work when the nursing and domestic staffs were almost entirely incapacitated at the Colonial Hospital and outlying hospitals.”
The epidemic was a time when death occurred daily at the hospital which affected approximately 5 per cent of the population and if there wasn’t an effective medical system in place, it would have been a fate much worse.
History being the subject it is, a group’s version of events may not be the same as that held by another group. When publishing one account, it is not our intention to cause division or to disrespect other oral traditions. Those with a different version can contact us so we can publish your account of history too — Editor.
