100 Year History Challenge - Indonesia Affected by the Influenza Pandemic

This is the entry of "100 Year History Challenge" hosted by @sndbox! As I searched for history in 1918, I discovered the greatest known disaster of the 1918 Pandemic influenza was the greatest disaster in the history of the disease in the world.

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in 1918 was the greatest disaster in the history of disease in the world.
Influenza pandemic The outbreak is rapidly expanding, not only in North America and Europe, but also to Alaska and the remote islands of the Pacific and Southeast Asia. In fact, Indonesia itself is exposed to this outbreak

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The epidemic spread rapidly from America and Europe then to Southeast Asia. an estimated 28% of the current population of 500 million people is infected with an influenza pandemic. The total number of deaths recorded by influenza pandemic in 1918 ranged from 20-40 million people.

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Initial findings of research conducted by a team of historians from the University of Indonesia showed, part of Indonesia affected by influenza pandemic that swept the world in 1918. The first outbreak detected in Indonesia is in the east coast of Sumatra.

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At the end of July, the outbreak reportedly spread to Java and Kalimantan, then Bali and Sulawesi. The epidemic extends into the eastern archipelago of the Archipelago, Maluku and Timor. The second wave of the outbreak occurred in October, spanning more and more sporadic areas.

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Historians from the UI, Kresno Brahmantyo and Harto Juwono, proclaimed historical evidence on the subject among other things contained in the archive of the warning of the Dutch Consulate General in Singapore to Batavia in May 1918 to ban entry of ships from Hong Kong for fear of bringing the Influenza outbreak . Another evidence is, telegram Zending van Gouverment or telegram Dutch colonial government that shows how bad the situation at that time.

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Data from the archives of preliminary findings say, week 27 to 43 in 1917 recorded 230,098 residents in West Java, Central Java and East Java (Madura, Bali, Lombok) infected with influenza and in 1918 the number increased to 229,566 people. The next period, weeks 44 to 47 in 1917 reported 51,688 cases and in 1918 as many as 359,241 cases.

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The second wave of the outbreak occurred in October, spanning more and more sporadically. The eastern islands of Indonesia are most affected by this outbreak. The number of deaths is also higher. In South Sulawesi, missionary reports say death is everywhere. In Tana Toraja, 10 percent of the population died from the flu, in Lombok there were 36,000 people dead.

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On that basis, the Government of the Netherlands East Indies, in 1920 issued a law on countering influenza pandemic. The contents, the call to fly the flood of influenza, made a special red color hoisted from sunset to rising in areas infected with influenza. The yellow flag should also be raised from sunrise to sunset. The appeal was directed to Inspectors of the Health Service, regional heads, schools, ships, ports 1-4, ports and captains.

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