The Great Flu Pandemic of 1918

[packman]

Note: This is to bolster a discussion on Greatest Threads by Coventina on anti-vaxxers in-laws:



https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212785190

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. My paternal grandfather was a victim.

He was an undertaker who was embalming dead soldiers at Camp Grant in NW Illinois. He caught it, it went into pneumonia and he died at age 36. My father was not quite 8 at the time.

Thanks for posting about this.

[Siwsan]

2. My grandfather traveled with his parish priest, helping him give last rights to the dying

So, he was exposed to a lot of infection risk. He had 4 young children, at that time. Amazingly, neither he, my grandmother, or any of the children ever came down with flu and all lived long lives.

I've never had flu, either. Must just be a freaky, luck of the draw genetic immunity for which I am thankful. Of course, that doesn't stop me from taking precautions.

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. My mother nearly died from it. Several of her family did die. I always heard it was spread

so widely in this country by soldiers infected on troup transports, who then went home by train to every corner of America.

In our part of Missouri it was called the "German Flu", supposedly snuck in by German spies to ruin the rural farms of Missouri (!)