The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1920-02-12
FLU HAS CAUSED
A VERY SERIOUS
SITUATION IN THE
west PORTION
Red Cross Nurse Finds Score
With Dread Disease Without
Medical Aid of Any Kind.

Miss Mary r.. DuBau', OlLlClal heu
Cross nurse for Fremont county, who
was recently detached from her du-
ties in the community health service
in the public schools and assigned to
special work in connection with the
influenza epidemic, has found many
distressing cases of the disease in diff
ferent parts of the county, according
to data given out at local Red Cross
Headquarters today. A great many
requests and opportunities have been
received by the Red Cross here dur
ing the last two or three weeks for
help in combating the contagion in
the rural districts of the county and
much has been done by it to alleviate
the situation, altho it has been unable
to fully meet the demands made up
on it. Nurses have been asked for in
some instances and acquisitions for
food. clothing and medical supplies
made. Efforts to comply with them
have been made as far as possible,
but the responsibilities have been too
great to be fully met. 1t is estimated
that at least 300 cases of influenza
have been reported to the local Red
Cross since the middle of January
and in nearly every instance request
was made for assistance in fighting
the disease. Doctors, as well as neigh
borhoods and communities have asked
the Red Cross to send them nurses
to help take care of those suffering
from the contagion and it now has %
or 80 women enlisted in the service
of caring for the sick. The majority
of the influenza patients appealing to
the Red Cross for assistance do not
report the disease to the county
health officer. nor is a physician sum
moned if a Red Cross nurse can he
obtained to treat them for nothing.
On this account many cases of influ-
enZa are never brot to the attention
of the health authorities.
On Thursday of this week Miss Du-
Paul was asked to visit the western
part of the county and minister TO
those suffering from influenza there.
At a house between CotopaM and
Coaldale she found a family of nine
members, all of them sick, three with
pneumonia and six with influenza.
The family was destitute of most of
the necessities of life and at least
three of the patients were critically
i'll. They were without adequate cloth
ing, bedding and food and without
any one to care for them There
were no medical supplies and none
were well enough to be of any SER
vice to the others when Miss DuPaul
arrived. In the neighborhoOd she
found another family of three people,
all of them down with the contagion.
A mile or so away she discovered
still another family with every mem
ber of the household sick After do.
ing what she could to relieve the 5uf-
fering of these unfortunates. Miss Du-
Paul organized sort of committee
among such people as she could find
to care for the sick until other ar
rangements could be made and then
returned to Canon City to procure
medical supplies, bedding, clothing,
groceries, etc. for the sick and Gesti-
'ute people she VAS trying to help.
Early this morning she returned by
automobile 10 their bedside. carrying
with her from the stores of the Red
Cross all of the needed requisites for
their comfort.
Miss DuPaul found eighteen people
between Cotopaxi and Texas Creek
i'll from the influenza and pneumonia,
some of them bad Off At Hillside ac-
cording to a message received at the
Red Cross here on Thursday, is a
family of six people all of them sick
from flu and pneumonia. They are
said to be destitute and all sleep on
the floor of a bare, cheerless room
without sufficient clothing to keep
them warm. Miss DuPaul expects to
visit Hillside today to see what she
can do for this unfortunate family.