City Councilmember and Des Moines Historical Society member Carmen Scott sent us a very interesting and significant letter, dated Dec. 18th, 1918 (91 years ago today!) with the topic concerning the flu, hard times and the ravages of war.

“Flu, war, hard times, pride in our country, so much has changed, and yet so much remains the same,” remarked Carmen.

She also tells us:

“The letter was tucked away in my Great grandmother Spencer’s bible.

It is written on December 18th 1918 to my great grandmother Spencer, (who lived in the Kent valley at Christopher, just north of Auburn). That winter the flu epidemic raged, schools closed, our young men were in Europe, fighting in the first World War, and being gassed by German bombs.  The WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union) was an active women’s organization which crusaded against substances they believed harmful to society.  They considered the abuse of alcohol to be America’s #1 drug problem, and spearheaded the drive for prohibition, which became law the following year. They also fought to outlaw the use of tobacco.

“Automobiles had begun to appear in our region during that decade, ending the era of travel by way of the Mosquito Fleet on Puget Sound.  Electricity became available to homes about then, (replacing kerosene Lamps).  Heat was produced by fireplaces and big cast iron wood or coal ranges in the kitchen.  The “accommodations” were often an outhouse, although some bathrooms were being added, usually by enclosing part of the back porch.”

Here’s the text of the letter:

December 18th, 1918 South Bellingham, Wash.

Dear Sister Spencer:

I received your dear good letter some time ago and now I will answer it so you will get this by Christmas. I hope you and Bro. Spencer did not get the flu. How is Mr & Mrs Hardin and children by this time? I hope they are all well, they certainly must have had a time of it, all down at once but Vera. It is very bad here too. They shut the schools down again here yesterday. We are all well yet, but Fred had to go to the Hospital and his wife was sick in bed at home, they are getting well slowly. Mr. Boddy is working every day but he gets pretty tired.

We received a telegram this morning saying Chester landed in New York yester- day. He will have to stay in the hospital for a couple of months yet. He was gassed on the 3rd of Oct. and was blind for 3 weeks. He was in that last big offensive when they had to march through rain and mud and stand up under the trees to snatch what sleep they gould get. Just as he was standing in a place, a couple of bombs came, and he jumped behind a concrete wall. He was not hurt but his clothes were blown to rags and his gas mask destroyed so the next bomb bursting was gas. He was burned, he did not say how badly, but he says he can see now enough to write and the burns on the outside are well but his lungs and broncheal tubes are not well yet and he has a terrible cough. He is glad to be back in the old U.S.A. The S.S. N.Y. is coming home so he says he will see if Joe & he & his wife cant have Christmas dinner together. We are very thankful their lives have been spared. Poor Chester says he has lost every thing even to his tin helmet and it costs so much to get an officers outfit for the few weeks he will remain in the Army that he cant afford it, so he says he is coming home in a Rookie suit.

It is too bad that the W.C.T.U. is broken up in Thomas & Christopher but I dont see how it could have been avoided there are so few left that used to go to it. I have not hunted them up here, so far I have been busy. We have a Presbeterian church a block away from us and the M.E. church is about as far from us as the Christopher church is from your place. I must close now, give our regards & best wishes to any who may inquire of us.

Love to your own dear selves and a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you both from us all.

Yours,
Susan D. Boddy

King County Public Health on Wednesday (Dec. 9th) announced that starting this Saturday, Dec. 12th, the H1N1 influenza vaccine will be provided to everybody six months of age and older in King County, with the nearest available at SeaTac HealthPoint, which is located at 4040 South 188th Street.

However, depending on the demand, supplies may be limited for a time at some locations.

The county is taking this next step in widening H1N1 vaccine eligibility because many health care providers in King County are now reporting that they are able to meet the demand for their highest risk patients and vaccine supplies are increasing and expected to continue to rise steadily.

“We’re pleased that many of our highest risk residents have been vaccinated and that we have enough vaccine now to open eligibility to anyone who wants it,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Even though flu has peaked, at least temporarily, H1N1 illness continues in our community. Getting vaccinated is still a very good idea.”

As of Dec. 4, an estimated 380,000 people in King County who are at high-risk for complications have been vaccinated for H1N1 influenza, and an additional 58,000 doses of vaccine are on the ground or in the process of being shipped to vaccine providers in the county.

Vaccination continues to be particularly important for people at highest risk for H1N1, including pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, people between 25 through 64 years of age with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems, and healthcare and emergency workers.

New clinics and vaccine availability 
H1N1 vaccine is available from local health care providers and pharmacies; see availability at pharmacies. 
Additionally, some health centers are offering free H1N1 vaccination to people who cannot afford to pay.

Clinics will be held from 9am – 3pm on:

• Saturday, Dec. 12th
• Wednesday, Dec. 16th
• Saturday, Dec. 19th

At these HealthPoint clinics:

• SeaTac HealthPoint: 4040 S. 188th Street, Suite 201;Phone: (206) 277-7200
• Kent HealthPoint: 403 E. Meeker
• Auburn HealthPoint: 126 Auburn Avenue, Suite 400
• Redmond HealthPoint: 16315 NE 87th Street, Suite B6

Public Health will also hold five free H1N1 clinics this Saturday and next Saturday, Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. These same sites, except for Eastgate Public Health Center, will also have clinics on Wednesday, December 16 from noon to 7 p.m. at:

• Federal Way Public Health Center, 33431 13th Place South
• Renton Public Health Center, 3001 NE 4th Street
• Seattle: Columbia Public Health Center, 4400 37th Ave South
• Seattle: North Public Health Center, 10501 Meridian Ave North
• Bellevue: Eastgate Public Health Center, 14350 SE Eastgate Way

Vaccinations are first come, first served, and no reservations will be taken. If demand is high, people will be given a designated time later that day to return and receive their vaccination. Once supply is exhausted, people will be informed as soon as they arrive.

For more information on future clinics and other H1N1 updates, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1.

You can also call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-KING (5464), which is staffed with operators to answer questions about H1N1 influenza from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with a special 24-hour nurse line service extended over the weekend for people with flu seeking medical care advice. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day.

In an effort to avoid having to close any more schools, Public Health Seattle and King County is asking parents to be on the front line of stopping flu infections, and are offering this informational checklist for parents:

Please talk to your children about how they are feeling.

If your child is sick, keep your child home. Staying home when sick helps reduce exposure to others and helps the sick person get well faster.

Answer these questions every morning before sending your child to school or child care:

1. Does your child have a fever (100º F or 37. 7ºC)?
2. Does your child have a sore throat, cough, body aches, vomiting, or diarrhea?

If you answered “yes” to both questions, your child might have the flu. Keep your child home from school for seven days or until symptoms are gone for 24 hours, whichever is longer.

If you answered “yes” to only one of the questions, keep your child home from school until symptoms are gone for 24 hours.

In addition to health and safety information about H1N1/Swine Flu, starting tomorrow, Wednesday May 6th, the Flu Hotline will offer callers an opportunity to speak with registered nurses.

(The hotline starts with a recorded message, follow the prompts for the best language option and when asked if you want “health and safety information about the H1N1 flu” or “if you have the flu,” follow the prompt to “if you have the flu.” This will take you to the menu that allows you to select “talk to a nurse.”)

Hotline nurses will tell callers how to manage their symptoms at home, tell them if they need to see a doctor or health care provider and answer other medical questions about H1N1 flu.

The Flu Hotline number is 1-877-903 KING (5464)

For more information, go to Public Health’s web site: www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 or call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-5464

Monday afternoon (4/27), the King County Council held a special session on the swine flu with public health experts, who reassured councilmembers that despite heightened monitoring, the swine flu that recently originated in Mexico has not yet spread to the area.

No cases of swine flu have yet to be reported in Des Moines, let alone King County or the entire state of Washington, according to Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. He said the 40 cases confirmed in the U.S. have been mild, with no serious illnesses or deaths.

“At Public Health we are actively preparing with our partners for the real possibility of swine flu here in our region,” said Dr. Fleming. “Whether or not swine flu arrives in King County, now is the time to get prepared. The more we are all prepared at home, the better we’ll be able to respond and recover.”

He said Public Health has asked local health care providers to notify them of suspected swine flu cases and has made arrangements with the state Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the submittal of suspect lab specimens.

Dr. Jeff Duchin, Disease Control Officer for Communicable Disease at Public Health – Seattle & King County, said the CDC has asked to receive all suspect lab specimens to ensure that cases that may appear as seasonal flu are not in fact the new strain of swine flu. He also said local providers are being advised on how to screen patients who present flu-like symptoms and that Public Health will investigate any cases of severe unexplained respiratory illness. Dr. Duchin said Public Health is recommending that the public not seek health care that they would not otherwise seek.

“Today I was pleased to hear that King County is as prepared as any jurisdiction in the event of a pandemic flu,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson, chair of the King County Board of Health. “However, I am concerned that given the cuts proposed in the state budget and impending cuts to the County budget, our health department will have reduced capacity to respond to emergencies in the future.”

“The Council’s work in recent years calling for a pandemic flu response plan and stockpiling of Tamiflu means we are mobilized and ready to respond if swine flu strikes King County,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, sponsor of legislation to create a Pandemic Flu Preparedness Plan for King County.

Dr. Fleming said the framework already laid out by the King County Council for the County’s comprehensive planning for pandemic flu will provide effective guidance and that the current response will provide useful lessons for updating the plan. The Council in 2007 adopted the Pandemic Flu Preparedness Plan that recognizes:

• the County’s role in regional public health and emergency management response.
• the County’s duty as both a regional service provider and a local service provider for continued provision of police and paramedics, bus service, wastewater treatment and other public services in the event of a pandemic flu, and
• the County’s duty as a large employer to ensure that its own workplaces help prevent the spread of pandemic flu.

At Sea-Tac Airport, there’s no unusual alert or extra screenings of passengers yet, according to Port of Seattle spokesman Perry Cooper.

However, the airport does have a quarantine zone at the south satellite that has room for several hundred people. Apparently it’s only been used once before during a screening for avian flu.

Alaska Airlines flies daily to and from Mexico, and the next plane from Mexico City is due to arrive Wednesday.

More information about emergency health preparedness can be found at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu.aspx.

For more information on Swine Flu, visit this website.

Here’s a “Swine Flu” map that shows that the nearest cases were up in Vancouver, B.C. and involved two men who had recently traveled to Mexico:

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map