The start of flu season this fall and winter recalls the deadly influenza pandemic that swept the world a century ago. Known as “Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe,” the pandemic killed between 20 and 40 million people between 1918 and 1919, including nearly 700,000 Americans.
When the pandemic reached Southwestern Oregon in October 2018, local officials reacted quickly to stem its spread. Medford Mayor C.E. “Pop” Gates required that masks be worn in public and closed all public gatherings, among them live and movie theaters, churches, lodges, and schools. Gates even tried to keep the railroad from bringing sick people to town.
Medford’s Sacred Heart Hospital opened a flu ward, treating 150 people, 12 of whom died. Ten people died in Ashland.
In Klamath Falls, Red Cross volunteers worked seven days a week, providing medical supplies, including masks and warm pneumonia jackets.
Nearly 3,700 people died in Oregon, less than a half percent of the population at the time.
Last year’s flu season was the most deadly in the United States in years, taking 80,000 lives. As of Oct.18 of this year, no deaths have been reported in Oregon during the 2018-2019 season.
Sources: Olumhense, Ese. "Flu killed more Americans last season than car crashes and drug overdoses. But Chicagoans can protect themselves." Chicago Tribune, www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-flu-season-deaths-flu-epidemic-100-years-20181003-story.html. Accessed 21 Oct. 2018.
