Variable mortality during the 1918 influenza pandemic in Chicago

In their study of influenza mortality in Chicago in 1918, Grantz et al. (1) conclude that pandemic-related mortality was related to “neighborhood level social factors” (e.g., illiteracy, homeownership, unemployment). Because “social factors” do not directly cause influenza illness or mortality, they must be surrogates for other factors. Other studies of Chicagoans during the 1918 pandemic provide insights. Four cohorts were studied during the 1918 pandemic in Chicago: US sailors at the Great Lakes training center (mortality: 4.7%; 936 deaths from 20,000), members of the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) at the University of Chicago (mortality: 0.2%; two deaths from 919), elementary- and high-school students at the … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: dennis.shanks{at}defence.gov.au. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1