The Spanish Influenza Epidemic

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The Spanish Influenza Epidemic

Los Angeles, October 28--The effects of the Spanish influenza outbreak from its date of original contamination, September 13(1), to now have been widespread and horrific. With more than 4500 new cases being reported today, the total for California is now above 60,000.(7) Not even two days prior to this printing, San Francisco witnessed its worst day, with over 2000 new cases reported accompanied by 96 deaths.(6) The once thought of "army epidemic" now has a firm grip on civilian life.

Following a trend set by many East coast cities over a month ago, many public facilities remain closed. Operational theaters and moving picture shows are now quite difficult to find, public schools are said to remain closed until at least November 6, and the City of Los Angeles' Liberty Fair has be postponed indefinitely.(5) Many churches have had to stop congregations and Sunday schools, and generally any unnecessary places of public gatherings have been shut down. Earlier this month the Balloon School in Arcadia tried taking preventative measures by enacting a quarantine of its students to the surrounding cities where no cases of influenza were reported.(3) The ban was lifted on October 5, with the school remaining clear of the epidemic.

Employment has been an issue for not only citizens but employers. Many workers are unable to continue duty, while the unemployed are not being hired for fear of contamination. Only two weeks ago a call for civil service workers from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. was halted until the epidemic calms down, not only hurting civilians looking for work but also impairing the United States military machine in its effort to win the war.

The specific agent responsible for this outbreak is still unknown, but the symptoms seem to be clear. As quoted from Surgeon General Blue, "The disease has a sudden onset ... people are stricken on the streets, while at work in factories, shipyards, offices, and elsewhere." He continues, saying "First there is a chill, then fever with temperature from 101 to 103, headache, backache, reddening and running of the eyes, pains and aches all over the body, and general prostration." It is commonly suggested that if feeling these symptoms, one should quickly get into bed and isolate oneself, then call a physician. Common advice to prevent infection from this malady has been to stay active, eat well, sleep well, and spend as much time in open spaces as possible as to have the most amount of fresh air around.

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