Exactly 100 years ago, Costa Rica was also fighting a pandemic. Meetings were prohibited and the school year suspended. At that time, it was the Spanish flu causing all the trouble, similar to what we are now going through with covid-19.
While there are many similarities, such as campaigns related to hygiene and keeping living spaces and people clean and isolated from each other, there are some important differences between the two pandemics.
100 years ago, there was no CCSS or Ministry of Health. There was no centralized medical system. Local doctors did their best to register sick patients and treat them. Additionally, there was no TV, radio, or Internet. They had only printed newspapers and flyers to share information about how to stay healthy.
At that time, the population was around 500,000 people. There was a lack of clean drinking water, toilets, and sewers. Eating habits were poor. 1,298 people died from the Spanish flu in Costa Rica and many more got sick from it.
