Talking about the inability of those in authority to tell the truth about the severity of Spanish Influenza in 1918, historian John M Barry writes in his New York Times column that “Trust in authority disintegrated, and at its core, society is based on trust. Not knowing whom or what to believe, people also lost trust in one another. They became alienated, isolated. Intimacy was destroyed.”

A socio-political lexicon - the “rally effect”, is well documented and explains people’s need to turn towards a leader for assurance when they feel deeply threatened.