Meanwhile, there is a continuing need to slow the spread of Covid-19 transmission through collective discipline, while being mindful the appearance of new, mutated, strains the virus. We have faced similar challenges. HIV treatments have evolved to address drug resistant strains. The 1918 Influenza, or “Spanish Flu” as it was commonly albeit inaccurately known, further underscores the need to track viral mutation.
During the First World War (1914-18) up to 4,000 Protectorate Batswana enlisted in South African auxiliary units serving in Namibia, East Africa and France, alongside hundreds of thousands from elsewhere in the region. Yet, the conflict is, perhaps, better remembered locally for the massive die-off that accompanied its ending rather than its wartime military tribulations. By November 25, 1918, when the last German army surrendered at Mbale, Zambia, the whole of Southern Africa was already being convulsed by the 1918 Influenza, which is estimated to have ultimately infected over a quarter of the world’s population, with the figure of 40-60 million being commonly accepted as an estimate of its final death toll.
