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Philadelphia parade exposes thousands to Spanish flu | September 28, 1918 | HISTORY
A WWI Liberty Loan parade in Philadelphia prompts a huge outbreak of Spanish flu in the city, infecting thousands.
www.history.com
"Twenty-four hours after the parade had ended, 118 Philadelphians were described as coming down with "a mysterious, deadly influenza." Two days later, Dr. Wilmer Krusen concluded that the Spanish flu was now present in the civilian population. One day after this announcement, every bed in Philadelphia's 31 hospitals was filled. One week later, 4,500 Philadelphians were declared dead of the Spanish flu and 47,000 people were infected.
On October 3, the outbreak of the Spanish flu in Philadelphia had gotten so bad that the city had to be essentially shut down. Schools, churches, bars and theaters were all required to be closed. Today, The Center for Disease Control's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine uses the Philadelphia Liberty Loans Parade as an example of how not to handle a pandemic."
Philadelphia Threw a WWI Parade That Gave Thousands of Onlookers the Flu
The city sought to sell bonds to pay for the war effort, while bringing its citizens together during the infamous pandemic
www.smithsonianmag.com
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