U. S. Aids City In Fight On Influenza

• State of IL receives part of the million dollars made available by the government to fight the influenza epidemic. Assistance to towns and communities will be distributed through Dr. Drake (State Director of Public Health) and the local branch of the Red Cross. • J.O. Cobb of Martha Hospital and local head of the U.S. Public Health Services put out a request for doctors and nurses. Doctors will be paid $300/mo. plus expenses. Nurses will be paid regulation salaries.• 800 to 850 communities are suffering from epidemic, with “crest of wave” located between Bloomington and Springfield.• Yesterday in Chicago 1,392 new cases and 91 deaths from flu; 358 cases of pneumonia and 64 deaths.• Yesterday, 50% of the students in South and West Side schools and 20% of students in North Side schools were reported absent. These are in contrast to a standard 8% absentee rate.• Scores of patients die at Dunning, the Chicago State Hospital for the Insane. This was reported by Dr. Charles Foley, assistant superintendent of Dunning. 25 nurses have resigned.• United Charities officials are concerned about high rates of flu in the poorer districts of the city. They have found many victims from the families that they have visited—381 victims from the 122 families visited.• The women’s committee of the State Council of Defense asked for cars to help transport nurses to homes.• President Reinberg of the county board stated that the county hospital could only take about 50 patients a day. It is short by 50 nurses.Newspaper article1