People typically think of pandemics in terms of their biological consequences, but science journalist Laura Spinney argues that their impact is shaped just as much by human behaviour and language.

On a recent episode of “Dialogues,” part of the Global Health Matters podcast series, Spinney joined host Garry Aslanyan to discuss the lessons of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Spinney is the author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World.

She argues that despite its global ramifications, the so-called “Spanish flu” remains largely absent from collective memory. Its impact extended far beyond Europe and North America, with countries like India suffering some of the worst losses, and it influenced the course of major wars, independence movements, and even the arts.

“The 1918 pandemic accelerated the pace of change in the first half of the 20th century and helped shape our modern world,” Spinney said.

Central to this understanding is the role of language. The way a pandemic is named shapes how it is perceived, and the term “Spanish flu” is, in hindsight, a misnomer that obscures its global nature.

Naming informs how people assign blame, assess risk, and respond to a crisis. Early in the HIV epidemic, for instance, labelling the disease as “gay-related” distorted public understanding and fueled stigma.

As Spinney explains “When there is an outbreak of [infectious] disease somewhere, it has to be named quite quickly because you can’t respond to it if you can’t talk about it.”

At the same time, she suggests global health must move toward a more inclusive linguistic approach. While English dominates international discourse, relying on a single language poses significant risks in managing health crises in a multilingual world.

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Image Credits: Global Health Matters Podcast.