What should you do?
Not quite… Although some colleagues might recommend it!
The first vaccine was invented in 1796 to fight smallpox. So though vaccines existed, scientists had not yet discovered viruses- they suspected their existence but they were too small to see on any microscope-and influenza is a virus. Scientists could see bacteria, however, and a bacteria called Pfeiffer's bacillus was found in some influenza patients. A vaccine already existed for this bacteria and some were vaccinated, but it did not prevent the spread of the flu!
A vaccine against influenza was finally found in the 1930s and was first used en masse in WWII.
Well, lots of people are trying these treatments, but they don't seem to work.
In fact, treatments and "cures" for influenza abounded and there was little to no regulation of these "medications".
"Aspirin is a real medication that reduces pain and fever, but it was prescribed in much higher doses than are considered safe today. An aspirin overdose can cause the lungs to fill with fluid, a fact which leads some historians to believe that some influenza deaths were actually aspirin poisoning.
Likewise, quinine, which is used to treat malaria, caused vertigo and other symptoms that patients thought were caused by the flu. Neither medication helped and they may have actually been harmful.
Yes! The best thing to do would be to quarantine the ward, and make sure to wear a face covering when entering and disinfect when leaving.
In fact many of the preventative measures that have become familiar to this generation with the COVID-19 pandemic were put in place during the 1918 influenza pandemic as well. Isolation wards in hospitals, quarantined military bases, face coverings, hand-washing, avoiding crowds, and closing schools and public places were all commonplace.
