On This Day, 14 September 1918

Birmingham Daily Post 

Saturday 14 September 1918

THE RECENT INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC

OVER 300 DEATHS IN BIRMINGHAM

At yesterday’s meeting of the Health Committee of the Birmingham Corporation, Dr. Robertson (medical officer) submitted a statement in regard to the recent prevalence of influenza in the city. It was estimated that at least 400 deaths were directly or indirectly due to the disease. In addition a considerable number of people had been damaged in health. No epidemic of influenza in previous times was so extensive in its prevalence, or caused so many deaths during the few weeks that it lasted. The illness produced by the infection was, in the majority of cases, sharp and short. The onset was usually sudden, causing people in some cases to faint in the street or at work, and within a few hours most of the sufferers felt extremely ill. Usually in about four days’ time the patient, although nut recovered, was able to return to work or to school. The incidence was particularly noticeable in munition works, in many of which the work was carried on with great difficulty, and great complaints were made as to the serious reduction in output. The school children were attacked all over the city, from 60% to 70% of absentees being recorded in some of the schools that were early and severely attacked. The epidemic commenced about the middle of June, and was disappearing about the end of July. Within these six weeks 312 deaths were directly attributable to influenza. In addition to the 312 deaths directly attributed to influenza there was during the six weeks an excess of deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia of 98, and an excess of deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis of 14. The following figures indicate the deaths in each the years of the great epidemic, as compared with those from influenza during the six weeks period of the 1918 outbreak:-1891, 214; 1892, 88; 1893, 123; and 1918 (six weeks), 312.

“I have heard some doubt expressed as to the exact nature of the infection”, the medical officer concludes, “but from its pandemic nature, its general symptoms and character, and the few direct bacteriological findings reported, I have no doubt as to its nature. It said also—and there is some evidence in support of the contention—that those who suffered in previous epidemics were attacked less severely, while the children and young adults who had not suffered in the 1889-1902 outbreaks suffered more severely.”