Socio-Economic Impacts of 1918-19 InfluenzaEpidemic in Lagos

The 1918-19 influenza pandemic remains the worst plague in modern history.

The Spanish flu killed over 50 million people worldwide, including over 2 mil-

lion deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. The Spanish flu provoked profound disrup-

tions of social and economic activities globally. In Lagos, the commercial nerve

center and the settler’s capital of Nigeria, the influenza outbreak decimated 3.5

percent of its population over a month. The piece studies the social and eco-

nomic effects of 1918-19 influenza in Lagos. The thesis maintains that the epi-

The demographic occasioned a profound decline in cash crops and a scarcity of staple foods. The

study revealed that enormous influenza deaths provoked disruptions in agri-

cultural and economic activities. Previous research on the subject had focused

on the political and social implications of 1918-19 influenza measures on Lagos

inhabitants. However, this study outlines the social and economic consequences

of an epidemic. Focusing on Lagos, the capital of colonial Nigeria, illuminates

our understanding of how epidemics impact the socio-economic spaces in a

regional context.