The daily times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1902-1936, 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 InHu-
enza" resembles b 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; come Of
patilSlts, however, develop pneumo-
MIA, or Inflammation of the ear, or
meningitis and many Of these COM
plicated cases die. Whether this 80
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 il
called Spanish Influenza there IL
no reason to believe that it original
ed in Spain. Some writer's 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
ithe summer and fall of 1917.
How can Spanish Influenza" be
recognized?
There is yet no certain way in
which single case vf Spanish in
.Iuenza" can be recognized; on the
other hand recognition is easy where
there is group Of cases. In con-
| trast to the outbreaks of ordinary
coughs and colds, which usually oc-
} cur in the cold months, epidemics Of
influenza may occur at any season
of the year, thus the present epi-
demic ragged most intensely in Euro
pea in May, June, and July. More
over, III the CAGE of ordinary colds,
the general symptoms (fever, pain,
depression) are by no means as Sc
we're or as sudden in their onset az
they are in influenza. Finally, ordi-
nary colds do not spread through
the community so rapidly or so ex-
tensively as does influenza.
In most cases person taken sick
with influenza feels sick rather
suddenly. He feels weak, has pains
in his eyes, ears, head or back, and
may soon all be over. Many patients
feel dizzy, some WON'T. Most Of
the patients complain of feeling
chilly, and with this comes a fever
in which the temperature rises to
100 to 104. In most cases the pulse
remains relatively slow.
In appearance one is struck by
the fact that the patient looks sick
His eyes and the inner side Of his
leyelids may be slightly "bloodshot," !"
or "cOngested," as the doctors say
There may be running from the
lnose, OF there may be some cough.
These signs of cold may not be
marked; nevertheless the patient
looks and feels very sick
What is the course Of the diseaseg
Do people die of it?
Ordinarily, the fever lasts from
three to four days and the patient
recovers. But while the proportion
of deaths in the present epidemic
has generally been low, in some
places the outbreak has been severe
and deaths have been numerous.
When death occurs 1t is usually the
result OF complication.
What causes the disease and how
is 1t spread?
Bacteriologists who studied iuflu-
enza epidemics in the past have
found in many cases a very smali
rod-shaped germ called after its
discover, Pfeiffer's bacillus. In 9TH
,er cases Of apparently the same kind
Continued on page Twol
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