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. 2009 Oct;15(10):1617-9.
doi: 10.3201/eid1510.080811.

Excess deaths and immunoprotection during 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, Taiwan

Ying-Hen Hsieh  1
Affiliations

Excess deaths and immunoprotection during 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, Taiwan

Ying-Hen Hsieh. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

To determine the difference in age-specific immunoprotection during waves of influenza epidemics, we analyzed excess monthly death data for the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Taiwan. For persons 10-19 years of age, percentage of excess deaths was lowest in 1918 and significantly higher in 1920, perhaps indicating lack of immunoprotection from the first wave.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monthly all-cause and excess death rates, Taiwan, July 1916 through June 1922. Monthly averages for excess deaths exclude those of the pandemic years 1918 and 1920. Bars indicate excess deaths per 100,000 population during the pandemic months of November–December 1918 and January–February 1920.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A) Percentages (in log scale) of all-cause deaths in Taiwan, by age group. Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals. B) Percentages of all-cause deaths for persons 10–39 years of age in 1918, grouped by 5-year age groups.
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