Influenza has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with 7.3% of US deaths last week caused by pneumonia and the flu, just above the epidemic threshold of 7.2%. Flu activity was widespread in 47 states, up from 41 the previous week. Influenza kills about 24,000 Americans each year.

The increase in flu cases raises the question: Will we ever see another outbreak like the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, which killed between 20 and 50 million people, representing 1-3 percent of the global population. This short documentary — Hospitals Full-Up — compares health care from 1918 with what’s available today.