From www.1918pandemicflu.gov
Don Tonkel was a child living in Goldsboro at the time. He gave an idea of what i was like to live in those times:
"I felt like I was walking on eggshells. I was afraid to go out, to play with my playmates, my neighbors. I was almost afraid to breathe...People were afraid to talk to each other...Farmers stopped farming, merchants stopped selling. The country more or less shut down....
So many people were dying we could hardly count them. We never knew from one day to another who was going to be next on the death list."
Definitely a mighty fearful time to be alive.
From North Carolina Flu Epidemic.
The epidemic overwhelmed the North Carolina's medical community and fledgling health care system. Public gatherings were outlawed and victims quarantined. Over 20 million died worldwide (I've heard as many as 100 million) and 13,000 in North Carolina.
In some cases, death occurred within 48 hours of the first sneeze.
It was especially deadly on those who cared for the sick, both professionally and volunteer basis. My grandmother was very brave to help as she did, but since she had already had it, was immune.
One positive result of the epidemic was that there was a huge hospital building program in the state during the 1920s.
A Scary Time. --DaCoot
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