Duas Pandemias: Um Esboço Comparativo entre a “Pneumónica” 1918-19 e a COVID-19

Abstract

: The current COVID-19 pandemic brought to mind the great influenza pandemic of 1918-19. It was known as “Spanish Flu” and in Portugal as “Pneumónica”, and it was the only recent one that can be compared in terms of the disruptive effects caused. There are risks in the comparison between a phenomenon dated in time, such as the first, and another that is still unfolding, with unpredictable effects. However, it is assumed that it is useful to proceed now with a comparison between both pandemics, which allows to detect similarities and differences between them and the contexts in which they occurred.