A comparison of Births and Deaths in Brown County from 1917-1920:
Year Births Deaths
1917 574 27355
1918 588 32156
1919 503 27357
1920 557 20358
In the data of the births from 1917 to 1920, there is a range from the lowest number in 1919 at 503 births and the highest in 1918 with 588 births. My theory on the reasons for this dramatic difference follows. Number one, there was a lack of new births due to a lack of intimacy due to the flu pandemic. People were scared they were going to get sick; a person could be healthy one minute, and suffering from the flu the next. Your husband/wife was no exception to this rule. The second hypothesis, the loss of childbearing aged people.(see age distribution bar graph) Third, recovery from any type of flu takes time to build your strength back up. See the attachments for more detailed information on births/deaths in Brown County during this time frame.

Part 3 Today and the Future
Current day: 2003
Influenza continues to be a killer with the same symptoms as 1918- 1920, including a sore throat, dry cough, high fever, fatigue, headache,and muscle/joint pain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that complications from influenza kills 20,000 to 40,000 people a year, most of them being the elderly, 65 years or older.59 As you get older, your immune system is not as strong, leading you to complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis. This amount of flu deaths is more than AIDS(15,000 per year).60
In the year 2003, there is a flu vaccine that is widespread and easy to obtain. However, not all people take advantage of this prevention against the flu. Minnesota vaccinations are down 30%61, and 63%62 of all people surveyed in a USA Today newspaper poll stated they would not be getting the flu vaccine this year.63 In Minnesota, flu season officially began on December 31, 2002 in Hennepin County.64 It is expected that it will hit hard in February and March of this year.65
If you look at the natural history of influenza epidemics, they occur regularly... If the records are any indication, yes there is another pandemic coming - the question is when states Jeffrey Tauenberger, MD PhD.66 It was predicted that in 1998 a flu pandemic could take 4 days to circle the globe (the flu pandemic of 1918 took 4 months) and kill more than 60 million people.67
If and when an outbreak occurs, the widespread media and health officials will help to keep people well informed and decrease the spreading as much as possible. Mass vaccination in addition to anti-viral drugs will be options for prevention and treatment. More likely than a flu pandemic could be the danger of biological warfare, including anthrax and small pox.
The future is unpredictable, and we learn from past mistakes. In this day and age, we have incredible technology and knowledge to prevent another disaster such as the Flu Pandemic of 1918-19. As a human race, we are prepared for a health disaster. But the question remains: if you, or I, were exposed to the flu, small pox, or some other pathogenic agent, how would we fare? Would I have been one of the victims of the flu pandemic of 1918-19, or would I have had an immune system strong enough to be a survivor? The answer will only come if we are exposed to a pandemic in our lifetime.