Telegram to Bureau of Indian Affairs Officials Concerning Influenza
10/11/1918
Add to Favorites:
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
This telegram was sent to Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school officials to alert them to the danger of the 1918 influenza epidemic. It advised that specific precautions be taken to ensure the best care for students.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was one of the deadliest events in human history. One fifth of the world's population was attacked. The epidemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world – more than died in World War I. Within months, the deadly flu virus had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so viciously, eluding treatment and defying control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others succumbed after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death. The flu did not discriminate. It was rampant in urban and rural areas, from the densely populated East coast to the remotest parts of Alaska. Young adults, usually unaffected by these types of infectious diseases, were among the hardest hit groups along with the elderly and young children. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was one of the deadliest events in human history. One fifth of the world's population was attacked. The epidemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world – more than died in World War I. Within months, the deadly flu virus had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so viciously, eluding treatment and defying control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others succumbed after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death. The flu did not discriminate. It was rampant in urban and rural areas, from the densely populated East coast to the remotest parts of Alaska. Young adults, usually unaffected by these types of infectious diseases, were among the hardest hit groups along with the elderly and young children. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
National Archives Identifier: 2641561
Full Citation: Telegram to Bureau of Indian Affairs Officials Concerning Influenza; 10/11/1918; Contagious Epidemics; Subject Correspondence Files, 1904 - 1941; Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives at Kansas City, Kansas City, MO. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/telegram-bureau-of-indian-affairs-influenza, April 27, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.