As our current pandemic continues, we hear from historian John M. Barry, who wrote one of the definitive accounts of the worst American pandemic, the Influenza pandemic of 1918-19. Barry is the author of the 2004 book, "The Great Influenza: The Story of The Deadliest Pandemic in History." Barry says that the most important lesson from the influenza pandemic is that truth is the strongest weapon available to man in a pandemic. In 1918, truth and transparency were among the first casualties of the influenza pandemic, one of several similiarities to the situation Americans face today with COVID-19.
Barry is a professor at Tulane University's School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. After the publication of his book in 2004, he served on several governmental pandemic response entities, and has advised both the George W Bush and Obama Administrations on pandemic responses.
