Survivors remember 1918 global flu pandemic

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At the time, rumors swirled that the Germans had spread the disease — which Sardo did not believe.

In a list of 12 rules to prevent the disease’s spread, the Army’s surgeon general wrote that people should “avoid needless crowding,” open windows and “breathe deeply” when the air is “pure” and “wash your hands before eating.”

One slogan was, “Cover up each cough and sneeze. If you don’t, you’ll spread the disease.”

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Those who were healthy wore masks when venturing outside. People who were known to be infected were threatened with a $50 fine if they were seen in public. Sardo remembers people throwing buckets of water with disinfectant on their sidewalks to wash away germs from people spitting on the street.

These days, government health officials are trying to build their case for school closings and similar steps during a future flu pandemic by showcasing new research that suggests such measures seemed to work during the deadly Spanish flu of 1918.

Researchers found that cities like St. Louis, which instituted “social distancing” at least two weeks before flu cases peaked in their communities, had flu-related death rates less than half that of Philadelphia, which didn’t act until later.

The whirlwind historical research project — which started in August and was unveiled this month — involved a team of researchers from the University of Michigan and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who combed through health records, newspaper clippings and other documents from 45 cities.

Another finding: The more social distancing measures were used and the longer they were in place, the less severe was the pandemic’s effect on a particular city. Wearing masks in public, restricting door-to-door sales, canceling church and quarantining sick people were among the layers of measures that appeared beneficial.

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But the researchers acknowledged they’ve only just begun their analysis, and haven’t teased out which measures were most effective. And they stopped short of saying those steps were the clear-cut reason some cities had lower death rates.

'A lot of prayers'
Another survivor of the 1918 flu pandemic, 99-year-old Ruth Marshall, says she, her two sisters and a brother came down with what they thought was a cold. Then the fever struck and the illness became severe, she said.

Marshall, who lived just steps from the Capitol at the time, said the influenza deaths reported in the newspapers came as a surprise.

“We never thought we were going to die. We did pretty good — a lot of prayers,” she said.

Others were not so fortunate. As the death toll started to mount, there was a shortage of coffins. Funeral homes could not keep up. Sardo’s father, who owned William H. Sardo & Co., and other funeral-home directors turned to soldiers for help embalming and digging thousands of graves.

Talk of the threat of another pandemic brings back memories for Sardo, who says he has gotten a flu shot every year they are available.

“It scares the hell out of me,” Sardo said. “It does.”

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