The 1918 Flu Epidemic, Called the Spanish Flu, Hits Chicago Hard

I have begun to find mention of the flu in DeKalb County, Illinois.

From the October 18, 2014, Chicago Tribune  "1918 influenza epidemic struck hard, fast" by Ron Grossman.

The Chicago Tribune had pictures in the October 2, 1918, paper of a nurse and a street sweeper wearing face masks to protect themselves from the disease.  The rapidly spreading disease was already overtaxing Chicago and the nation's hospitals, doctors and nurses.

Officials downplayed the 1918 pandemic, early warnings were missed or ignored, much-needed medical supplies ran short.  The article went on to say how hard the city's hospitals were being hit.  At a west side hospital, there were 25 cases of it among the nurses and 3 had already died.  There were 12 cases at Michael Reese Hospital.

The city was running out of beds for the afflicted.

Historians estimate that 30 to 50 million died worldwide  It killed quickly, sometimes in as little as a day.  It attacked not only the weak or elderly, but young health people as well.  Half the world's population was affected by it.

--Cooter