The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1918-10-08
SPANISH INFLUENZA
:. THREE DAY FEVER
United States Public Health
Service Tells You
How to
COMBAT THE DISEASE

WHAT'S Spanish Influenza? Is it
something new? Does it come from
Spain?
The disease now occurring in this
country and called Spanish Influ-
enza" resembles very contagious
kind of "cold" accompanied by few
er pains in the head, eyes,
ears back or other parts of the body
and feeling of severe sickness In
most of the cases the symptoms dis
appear after three days, the patient
then rapidly recovering; some OF
patiHlts, however, develop pneumo
MIA, or Inflammation of the ear, or
meningitis and many Of these COM
pl.cated cases die. Whether this So
called Spanish" influenza is identi-
cal with the epidemic of influenza of
earlier years is not yet known.
Epidemics of influenza have visit
ed this country since 1647. 1t is in
teresting to know that this first ep-
idemic was brought here from Val
encia, Spain. Since that time there
have been numerous epidemics of
the disease. In 1889 and 1890 an
epidemic of influenza, starting some
where in the Orient, spread first to
Russia, and thence over practically
the entire civilized world. Three
years later there was another fare
up of the disease. Both times the
epidemic spread widely over the
United States.
Although the present epidemic is
called Spanish Influenza" there is
no REASON to believe that it originat-
ed in Spain. Some writers have
studied the question believe that the
epidemic came from the Orient and
, they call attention to the fact that
! the Germans mention the disease as
occurring along the eastern front in
, the summer and fall of 1917.
| How can Spanish Influenza" I've
recognized?
! There is yet no certain way in
which a single case uf Spanish H.
tlUanza" can be recogniZei: on tie
oth er hand recognition is cas- here
there is group CT case IN CO.
| tlust to the outbreaks CT ord IL y
icougis and colds, which u \ ~
2ut in the cold months, e. tlt ~
iatiuenza may occur at s"y je Sc
Iof the year, thus the present epi-
! idcnic ragged most intensely in Euro
| pea in May, June, and July. More
oy1l', in the case Of ordinary colds
.tHo general symptoms (fever, pain
idcpression) are by no means as Sc.
lTaIo or as sudden in their onset as
IthoY are in influenza. Finally, ordi
aary colds do not spread througt
itno community so rapidly or so ex
jtonsively as does influenza.
, In most cases a person taken sicl
With influenza feels sick rather
suddenly. He feels weak, has pains
LIN his eyes, ears, head or back, ant
may soon all be over. Many patient:
feel dizzy, some WON'T. Most o1
1.-THE patients complain Of feeling
chilly, and with this comes fevel
in which the temperature rises tt
| 100 to 104. In most cases the pulse
remains relatively slow.
! In appearance one is struck b,
the fact that the patient looks sick
! His eyes and the inner side of hi
"yelids may be slightly "bloodshot,
lor 'congested," as the doctors say
There may be running from thu
nose. or there may be some cough
These signs of cold may not bt
marked; nevertheless the patient
looks and feels very sick.
| What is the course of the disease;
10 people die of It?
Ordinarily, the fever lasts from
three to four days and the patient
jrecovers. But while the proportion
Of deaths in the present epidemic
mas generally been low, in some
lpl9ces the outbreak has been severe
land deaths have been numerous
| When death occurs 1t is usually the
iresult of complication.
What causes the disease and how
IS it spread?
! Racteriologists who studied inNu
jeQ2a epidemics in the past have
| found. in many cases very small
| Irod-shaped germ called after It,
liscover, Pfeiffer's bacillus. In 9th
| er cases Of apparently the same kint
u = !.