How border closures failed in 1919 - a podcast by ABC Radio

100 years ago, when we were up against the Spanish Flu, Australia failed to contain the pandemic, and the weak spot was the border between Victoria and New South Wales.

After that, the disease spread throughout the country, infecting hundreds of thousands and killing at least 15,000 people.

The parallels to 2020 are striking.

So will Australia’s containment measures succeed where they failed a century ago?



Featured:

Dr Peter Hobbins, Principal historian, Artefact Heritage Services and Honorary Affiliate, Department of History, University of Sydney

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