Eastside Stories
As we live through the Covid-19 pandemic it can be harrowing and comforting to know that our nation and world has endured an outbreak like this before. In many ways the reactions are similar and the precautions necessary to slow the spread of viral infection remain the same—stay home, keep your distance, and wear your mask. The Influenza Outbreak (also often referred to as the Spanish Flu Epidemic) of 1918-19 occurred right as World War I (WWI) was coming to an end and soldiers returning home were responsible for its far reach.
Many don’t realize WWI killed 16 million, but this strain of influenza killed over 50 million worldwide. With so many young people lost to WWI, the deadly strain of influenza which overtook so many was made more concerning as it took the lives of young people just as readily as vulnerable populations. Like Covid-19, the flu affected people differently, some victims died within the first few hours of showing symptoms while others held on for several days and some recovered and lived healthy lives. At the time, health officials speculated as to whether asymptomatic carriers could pass on the disease and moved quickly to develop a vaccine to slow its spread.
The origin of the term Spanish Flu also had to do with the war. The reason it is often called the “Spanish Flu” is because neutral Spain freely reported cases and deaths, without a need to suppress information as many warring nations did. The origins of the disease remain unknown today. Here in Washington, the illness originated with returning solders at Camp Lewis and the Bremerton Naval Base, and from a train full of solders arriving in Seattle via Philadelphia. The first record of the disease in Western Washington was recorded on October 3, 1918.
For most, public education was the first attempt to slow the spread and contain the virus. Being in Washington, local populations found themselves lucky as those in charge of public health monitored the spread from the East Coast and attempted to prepare for an outbreak. Dr. T.D. Tuttle, a medical man who had headed the Montana state tuberculosis sanitarium, was Washington’s Health Commissioner in 1918. He fought to put social distancing rules in place and shut down gatherings. By October 30, 1918, Washington State passed a law requiring people to wear gauze masks in public.
