Comments on: Sunday, Oct. 13, 1918: Flu outbreak closes churches, schools, theaters

By: Elizabeth Miller

Elizabeth Miller — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:56:40 +0000

My great-grandfather died from this flu epedemic in 1918 and left my great-grandmother to raise 3 children ages 2,4,6 alone. My grandmother was the 6 year old and she lived to be 93, I buried her 3 years ago.

Let’s all pray we do not ever have a ful epedemic of this magnitude again.

By: David Middlecamp

David Middlecamp — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:23:58 +0000

We had similar stories in California when Spanish Influenza struck.

By: Monica Newbuyr

Monica Newbuyr — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 01:28:46 +0000

My grand-mothers mother, father and maternal grandparents died with in a matter of two weeks during October of 1918
leaving herself and her baby brother, ages three and 18 months behind. They were both raised by an aunt who had lost her son to the epidemic. I know that her family could not have been the only one effected to this degree. I can’t imagine losing so many people so close to me in such a short amount of time. Let us hope this never happens again.

By: Mark Holland

Mark Holland — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:01:27 +0000

I am 96 hours into a likely influenza infection. I am 43 years old, healthy and the influenza virus types circulating this year are relatively ‘mild’, certainly as compared with the Spanish flu. Despite this, I spent 48 hours prostrate with a high fever. Basic self-care became nearly impossible and reaching off the couch to fetch a bottle of water required great force of will.

I mention all this not (I hope) to sound melodramatic, but to frame the question: if this was a mild flu in a healthy middle-aged man, what on Earth must a severe flu be like?

I suppose the 50 million dead of 1918 answer my question.

By: peter

peter — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 03:22:59 +0000

here’s a great video on the avian flu that talks about the history, including 1918:

http://www.scribemedia.org/2006/11/22/avian-flu/

By: ellen mrja

ellen mrja — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:26:17 +0000

I have an elerly friend who lost her uncle to the flu in 1918 on a Friday, her father on Monday, her mother on Tuesday, a cousin on Thursday and the family doctor on Friday. Needless to say, I will not be reading this current story to her but we should all take heed.

By: Lloyd Arntsen

Lloyd Arntsen — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 14:18:54 +0000

My dad lost two sisters and one brother in Minneapolis to the 1918 flu outbreak. One died on Christmas Eve, and then one died on christmas Day…….

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 17:47:43 +0000

This was so very interesting. My dad was born in Milwaukee in September 1917 and my mother in the UP of Michigan in August 1918. This had to be a very scary time for people with young childres.
Thanks