Changes

In the United States, in December 1889 the developing pandemic had become apparent as it spread across Europe. Newspapers at the time reported it. The United States was relatively relaxed when the pandemic struck, with major port cities including New York first hitdespite having time to prepare. The flu quickly spread in port cities and spread to other cities via rail lines. The flu was notable in affecting different ages young and old. Symptoms included headaches sore throat, laryngitis and bronchitis, although some reported symptoms more comparable to a common cold. Initially, political leaders and public health officials played down the spreading infections in the United States, but soon the increasing number of cases made officials acknowledge there was a problem. Newspaper were particularly calm and the local media did not think much of the pandemic, with one newspaper stating: "It is not deadly, not even necessarily dangerous.” However, by January 1890, it was clear far more people were dying than normal. The flu particularly struck those with underlying health conditions, with people with heart disease or kidney troubles most seriously affected. Soon, many people throughout the United States began to wear scarves or handkerchiefs to cover the noses and mouths. The peak of the outbreak in the United States seems to have occurred in February 1890. By the time the pandemic began to diminish, over 13,000 in the United States died, with New York having 2,503 deaths. This was considered a low number considering the total deaths worldwide were about a 1 million or more. There were second and more waves in the winter of 1890 and later in the 1890s. However, these were relatively mild, as many people had developed natural immunity by then.<ref>For more on how the 1889-1890 pandemic affected the United States, see: Ryan JR (ed.) (2009) <i>Pandemic Influenza: Emergency Planning and Community Preparedness</i>. Boca Raton: CRC Press. </ref>