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Photos show the precautions US cities took to 'flatten the curve' during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemichttps://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/miscellaneous/photos-show-the-precautions-us-cities-took-to-flatten-the-curve-during-the-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic/slidelist/75131726.cms2020-04-14T03:04:09+05:30

Photos show the precautions US cities took to 'flatten the curve' during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic

Apr 14, 2020, 03:04 IST

The contagion was dubbed the Spanish Flu for its believed origin in Spain. However, the exact origin is still unclear — some have suggested France, China, or the US.

There were three waves of the Spanish Flu, but the second bout of the disease was especially catastrophic for the US in the late summer of 1918.

It was brought by World War I soldiers returning home from Europe, and as the men dispersed to their respective home cities or stations, the contagion burgeoned across the country.

There wasn't a vaccine for the virus, so the primary precautions that local and state governments took were banning public gatherings and shutting down schools, churches, and movie theatres.

Military personnel was told to gargle saltwater as a preventive measure against the contagion, since the virus was thought to be spread by nasal and throat mucus.

The US had funneled most of its resources into World War I efforts, so additional funding was passed to hire healthcare workers, such as nurses, to help with the outbreak.

Mask-wearing was widely adopted in the US.

Cities mandated that residents wear masks at all times, a requirement that lasted well after quarantines ended in some locales.

Law enforcement, like the 1,700 officers within the Boston Police Department, were given masks to wear while on duty.

Though some studies conducted later on found mask-wearing was not as effective as previously believed in containing the outbreak.

San Francisco was eventually one of the worst-hit US cities, but Philadelphia was hit hard early on because of a lack of social distancing efforts.

Cities like St. Louis, Missouri, were more proactive in initially addressing the spread of the flu by enforcing social distancing early on, a feat that proved useful in stunting the spread of the flu.

As infections grew by the thousands, volunteer nurses treated residents in their homes.

City buildings and venues across the US were converted into hospitals and treatment sites, like Oakland's Civic Auditorium to accommodate the growing number of cases grew.

A makeshift flu hospital was set up in San Francisco's Civic Center to help care for infected patients.

Another practice that officials, specifically in Massachusetts, believed to be effective was "fresh air treatments."

Some public health officials believed that fresh air counteracted the spread of the virus, so some events like court proceedings were held outside.

The idea was that the ventilation provided by fresh air would help in curing the disease, which was believed to be spread through respiratory mucus.

Walks and breaths of fresh air were also encouraged to help stave off infection.

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