Soldiers Returning From Vietnam in 1968 Brought Back the ‘Forgotten Pandemic’

In 1968, a new strain of the influenza virus, believed to have originated in Hong Kong, was brought back to America by soldiers returning from the Vietnam War. It would go on to kill over 100,000 people in the United States and more than one million people worldwide. While the severity of the disease is similar to COVID-19, at the time, many had no idea that it was in fact a pandemic. Without the internet, smartphones, and a 24-hour news cycle, many had no idea the reach of the virus.