Here's how Houston handled the horrific Spanish flu pandemic 100 years ago

circa 1918: Doctors giving treatment to an influenza patient at the US Naval Hospital in New Orleans. circa 1918: Doctors giving treatment to an influenza patient at the US Naval Hospital in New Orleans. Photo: MPI/Getty Images Photo: MPI/Getty Images Image 1 of / 158 Caption Close Here's how Houston handled the horrific Spanish flu pandemic 100 years ago 1 / 158 Back to Gallery

Banned events, empty restaurants and airports that resemble ghost-towns. This is the ‘new normal’ and an unimaginable reality for Houston in the wake of the coronavirus.

As Houston city leaders grapple with the real impact of the coronavirus outbreak, it’s not the first time Houston has dealt with a pandemic of this magnitude. Just a century ago, the Spanish Flu pandemic was disruptive and devastating, killing millions nationwide in 1918. Nearly 50 million men, women and children were killed when the Spanish Flu put its deadly grip on communities across the globe in 1918.

View the gallery above to see how Houston handled the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic-->

In the Spring of 1918, an initial outbreak called the “three-day-fever” signaled a warning sign to the more serious strain of the Spanish Flu which took hold. In some of the most severe cases, the Spanish Flu was a ruthless and quick killer, filling the sick patients’ lungs with fluid so that they inevitably suffocated.

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According to a Houston Chronicle report on September 24, 1918, there were between 600 and 700 cases of Spanish influenza at Camp Logan, which is now the home of Memorial Park. By the end of 1918, tragically nearly 110 men would die at the camp after exposure to the virus. In light of the rising death toll, public gatherings were called to halt to stop the virus from spreading. Many of the flu deaths in Texas occurred between September and October of 1918.

Revisiting a Bayou City History blog post, a Houston Chronicle editorial at the time attempted to assure the community with a sense of calm.

"There is no need to discuss whether it was necessary to close the public schools and places of amusement in Houston. Since this has been done by those in authority, acting under high medical advice, let us abide by the decision without complaint or criticism," the paper wrote. Initially The Houston Post disagreed with shutting down the city, but finally shifted its perspective.

In a 1918 health bulletin, The Texas State Board of Health urged school leaders how to stop the spread of the flu.

"Every day . . . disinfectant should be scattered over the floor and swept. All woodwork, desks, chairs, tables and doors should be wiped off with a cloth wet with linseed, kerosene and turpentine. Every pupil must have at all times a clean handkerchief and it must not be laid on top of the desk. Spitting on the floor, sneezing, or coughing, except behind a handkerchief, should be sufficient grounds for suspension of a pupil. A pupil should not be allowed to sit in a draft. A pupil with wet feet or wet clothing should not be permitted to stay at school."

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It's estimated that nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population was affected by the Spanish Flu, according to the CDC. Houston's death toll was roughly calculated to be around 111. The mortality rate was especially high in people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years and older.

As October wrapped up in 1918, nearly 106,000 residents in Texas' urban centers had been afflicted by the Spanish Flu. More than 2,100 would die from the illness.

In contrast to the first strains of the coronavirus, young adults were often struck a death blow with the Spanish Flu. According to the CDC, the average age of those who died was 28 years old. There were reports of some people dying within 24 hours or less. The Spanish flu often progressed to organ failure and pneumonia, with pneumonia the cause of death for most of those who died.

Approximately 675,000 Americans died from this flu which ultimately ran its course by spring 1919. In fact, more U.S. soldiers are said to have died from the 1918 flu than were killed in battle during World War I. It's believed that President Woodrow Wilson contracted the Spanish flu during the World War I peace negotiations in Paris in April 1919. Those who were exposed to the virus died or developed a life-saving immunity to the illness.

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The strategies that helped control the spread of the Spanish Flu included interventions such isolation, good personal hygiene, quarantine, and the use of disinfectants, in addition to bans on large public gatherings.

Of particular note, researchers found six controlled studies in which the use of blood plasma, serum or whole blood from recovering flu patients reduced the mortality rate of severely ill patients during the Spanish Flu era. According to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, featured authors in the medical literature of the time suggest that antibodies in the blood products help stem the effects of the flu virus.

"Patients with Spanish influenza pneumonia who received transfusion with influenza-convalescent human blood products may have experienced a clinically important reduction in the risk of death," noted Thomas C. Luke of the New Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. The report was published by Annals of Internal Medicine.

At the end of the day, Houstonians remained resilient throughout the Spanish Flu era with a vigilance to stemming the spread of the flu. The ban on public gatherings is said to have only lasted a few weeks, and life soon returned back to normal.

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alison.medley@chron.com