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But I never heard anyone object to "Spanish Flu" for the 1918 outbreak. Nor any objection to "Hong Kong Flu", I don't remember the year for this one. Neither one of these names was descriptive of the nature of the illness. They just help us remember which outbreak it was. The "official" name the government wants us to use is a bit clumsy IMHO and Swine Flu it will probably remain to most of us. 
Beverly A.
But I never heard anyone object to “Spanish Flu†for the 1918 outbreak.
Beverly, are you old enough to have heard anyone objecting to the so-called Spanish Flu in 1918? 
Anyway, the Hong Kong Flu was 1968, and it killed about a million worldwide and over 30,000 in the US. The Spanish Flu may have killed as many as 100 million! I may be wrong, but I would guess that there were some objections at the time to the common names of these flus, but it might take some historical digging to find them. You do beg a good question: What is the best way to create good names for serious flu outbreaks that, on the one hand, doesn't offend and stigmatize and, on the other hand, doesn't sound too officious and nondescript?
Well, I may not be so old as to remember any complaints about Spanish Flu but I am old enough to remember the Hong Kong Flu and do not remember any objections to the name. One mystery, however, is: what name did they give to the flu epidemic of 1957. It is listed as one of the pandemics. Both my DH (then fiance) and I and my whole family were affected. Two weeks in bed, fever, sore throat, joint aches, the whole nine yards.
Beverly A.
The Mexican embassy in The Hague (The Netherlands) asked the media to stop talking about the Mexican Flu, as we call it in Holland. I guess they want to put the blame on pigs rather than Mexicans... 🙂 But I believe its called Mexican Flu after the name of the country where it all started. Similar to the above mentioned Spanish Flu and the Hong Kong Flu. Although, the Bird Flu that swept through Asia and beyond was just named Bird Flu here...and no mention of a place where that all started.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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