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Women wear surgical cloth masks to protect themselves against the flu. An influenza epidemic in the world killed 20 million people between 1918 and 1920.
Women wear surgical cloth masks to protect themselves against the flu. An influenza epidemic in the world killed 20 million people between 1918 and 1920.
Photo: Bettmann / Bettmann Archives
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1918-influenza epidemic; The courtyard is held outdoors in San Francisco.
1918-influenza epidemic; The courtyard is held outdoors in San Francisco.
Photo: Bettmann / Bettmann Archives
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Nurses treat victims of a Spanish flu epidemic outdoors, in the middle of canvas tents, at an outdoor cure, Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1918.
Nurses treat victims of a Spanish flu epidemic outdoors, in the middle of canvas tents, at an outdoor cure, Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1918.
Photo: Hulton Archives / Getty Images
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Influenza epidemic, 1918: telephone operator with protective gauze.
Influenza epidemic, 1918: telephone operator with protective gauze.
Photo: Bettmann / Bettmann Archives
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1918-Chicago, Illinois- Inspect Chicago street cleaners for the Spanish flu. The officials wear gauze masks.
1918-Chicago, Illinois- Inspect Chicago street cleaners for the Spanish flu. The officials wear gauze masks.
Photo: Bettmann / Bettmann Archives
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Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Post during a Pandemic Influenza, Washington DC, United States, National Photo Company, 1918.
Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Post during a Pandemic Influenza, Washington DC, United States, National Photo Company, 1918.
Photo: Universal History Archive / UIG Via Getty Images
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View of a woman from the American Red Cross Motor Corps, two with a patient with influenza on a stretcher, showing walking through a tented camp, Morgan, New Jersey, October 6, 1918.
View of a woman from the American Red Cross Motor Corps, two with a patient with influenza on a stretcher, showing walking through a tented camp, Morgan, New Jersey, October 6, 1918.
Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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Rules to reduce the spread of Spanish flu by the US Public Health Service. Cough or sneeze into your mouth with a tissue, avoid crowded places, do not spit, do not share the use of cups and towels. Avoid excessive fatigue Just get sick in bed and tell your doctor. Typographic poster; United States, Washington, DC 1918.
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Rules to reduce the spread of Spanish flu by the US Public Health Service. Cough or sneeze into the mouth with a tissue, avoid crowded places, do not spit, do not share the use of cups and
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Photo: Fototeca Storica Nazionale./Getty Images
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Two Red Cross nurses with a person on a stretcher during a demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance post during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, Washington DC , 1918
Two Red Cross nurses with a person on a stretcher during a demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance post during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, Washington DC , 1918
Photo: Underwood Archives / Getty Images
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The Oakland Municipal Auditorium is used as a temporary hospital by volunteer nurses from the American Red Cross who care for the sick during the 1918 flu pandemic, Oakland, California, 1918.
The Oakland Municipal Auditorium is used as a temporary hospital by volunteer nurses from the American Red Cross who care for the sick during the 1918 flu pandemic, Oakland, California, 1918.
Photo: Underwood Archives / Getty Images
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A nurse checking a patient at the Walter Reed Hospital's influenza ward during the influenza pandemic, Washington DC, circa 1918.
A nurse checking a patient at the Walter Reed Hospital's influenza ward during the influenza pandemic, Washington DC, circa 1918.
Photo: Underwood Archives / Getty Images
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Red Cross workers remove packs of masks for US soldiers from a table where other women are busy making them, Boston, Massachusetts, 1918.
Red Cross workers remove packs of masks for US soldiers from a table where other women are busy making them, Boston, Massachusetts, 1918.
Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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The 39th Regiment en route to France marched through the streets of Seattle, Washington, each wearing a mask made by the Seattle chapter of the American Red Cross (Seattle, Washington, 1918).
The 39th Regiment en route to France marched through the streets of Seattle, Washington, each wearing a mask made by the Seattle chapter of the American Red Cross (Seattle, Washington, 1918).
Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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Elevator operator in New York, NY, wearing a mask to protect herself from the Spanish flu, New York, October 16, 1918.
Elevator operator in New York, NY, wearing a mask to protect herself from the Spanish flu, New York, October 16, 1918.
Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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Two Red Cross nurses with a person on a stretcher during a demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance post during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, Washington DC , 1918
Two Red Cross nurses with a person on a stretcher during a demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance post during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, Washington DC , 1918
Photo: Underwood Archives / Getty Images
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Spanish Influenza in Army Hospitals – Masks and Cabins Used at US No. 4 General Hospital, Fort Porter, New York, 1918. Patient beds are reversed alternatively so that the breath of one patient is not directed towards the face of another.
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Spanish Influenza in Army Hospitals – Masks and Cabins Used at US No. 4 General Hospital, Fort Porter, New York, 1918. Patient beds are reversed , alternatively so that the breath of a patient is not directed
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Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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An American soldier is covered with a sheet to prevent the flu from spreading, approx. 1919
An American soldier is covered with a sheet to prevent the flu from spreading, approx. 1919
Photo: Kirn Vintage Stock / Corbis Through Getty Images
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The image shows converted warehouses to keep infected people in quarantine. Patients suffer from the 1918 flu pandemic: 50 to 100 million people were killed. Dated 1918
The image shows converted warehouses to keep infected people in quarantine. Patients suffer from the 1918 flu pandemic: 50 to 100 million people were killed. Dated 1918
Photo: Universal History Archive / UIG Via Getty Images
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A street sweeper from New York City wears a mask to help curb the spread of the flu epidemic, October 1918. According to a New York Health Board official, it's better to "be ridiculous than dead."
A street sweeper from New York City wears a mask to help curb the spread of the flu epidemic, October 1918. According to a New York Health Board official, it's better to "be ridiculous than dead."
Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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Motorized body of the Red Cross of St. Louis in service during the American flu epidemic. 1918. Women wearing masks holding stretchers at the back of ambulances.
Motorized body of the Red Cross of St. Louis in service during the American flu epidemic. 1918. Women wearing masks holding stretchers at the back of ambulances.
Photo: Universal History Archive / UIG Via Getty Images
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As protection against the flu virus, men gargle salt and water after a day spent working at the War Garden in Camp Dix, New Jersey, in September 1918. It was a preventive measure against epidemic of influenza that had spread to the army camps.
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As a protection against the flu virus, we see men in gargle with salt and water after a day spent working at the War Garden in Camp Dix, New Jersey, in September 1918. It s & # 39; 39, was a preventive measure against
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Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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View of tents and patients in a Brookline emergency hospital to treat influenza cases, Massachusetts, October 1918.
View of tents and patients in a Brookline emergency hospital to treat influenza cases, Massachusetts, October 1918.
Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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A typist wears a mask while working at her desk during the 1918 flu epidemic.
A typist wears a mask while working at her desk during the 1918 flu epidemic.
Photo: PhotoQuest / Getty Images
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View of a flu-related health warning, published by the Anti-Tuberculosis League, posted inside a transit vehicle (probably a train), 1918 – 1920 The sign reads, "Keep your bedroom windows open! Prevent influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis "and refers to the deadly pandemic of" Spanish flu "that swept the world; international mortality statistics estimate that it has resulted in between 20 and 100 million deaths.
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View of a health warning about influenza, from the Tuberculosis League, posted inside a transit vehicle (presumably a train), 1918 – 1920. The panel reads as follows: "Keep your windows from the bedroom
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Photo: Cincinnati Museum Center / Getty Images
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Red Cross volunteers fighting against the Spanish flu epidemic in the United States in 1918
Red Cross volunteers fighting against the Spanish flu epidemic in the United States in 1918
Photo: Apic / Getty Images
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In the United States, the use of a mask by Red Cross personnel helps to reduce the spread of the disease, around 1918.
In the United States, the use of a mask by Red Cross personnel helps to reduce the spread of the disease, around 1918.
Photo: Paul Thompson / FPG / Getty Images
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Seattle police wearing gauze protective masks during the 1918 flu epidemic that cost millions of lives around the world
Seattle police wearing gauze protective masks during the 1918 flu epidemic that cost millions of lives around the world
Photo: Time Life Pictures / LIFE Images Collection / Getty Images
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February 27, 1919: A woman wearing an anti-flu mask during the influenza epidemic that followed the First World War.
February 27, 1919: A woman wearing an anti-flu mask during the influenza epidemic that followed the First World War.
Photo: Specialized Press Agency / Getty Images
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March 1, 1919: Two men wearing and advocating the use of anti-flu masks in Paris during the Spanish flu epidemic that followed the First World War.
March 1, 1919: Two men wearing and advocating the use of anti-flu masks in Paris during the Spanish flu epidemic that followed the First World War.
Photo: Specialized Press Agency / Getty Images
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around 1918: doctors treating a patient with influenza at the US Naval Hospital of New Orleans.
around 1918: doctors treating a patient with influenza at the US Naval Hospital of New Orleans.
Photo: MPI / Getty Images
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A doctor vaccinates Major Peters of Boston against the Spanish flu virus during the epidemic, c. 1918. (
A doctor vaccinates Major Peters of Boston against the Spanish flu virus during the epidemic, c. 1918. (
Photo: Hulton Archives / Getty Images
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The women of the War Department walk for 15 minutes to breathe fresh air morning and night to ward off the flu virus during the First World War, c. 1918.
The women of the War Department walk for 15 minutes to breathe fresh air morning and night to ward off the flu virus during the First World War, c. 1918.
Photo: Hulton Archives / Getty Images
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The congregation prayed on the steps of St. Mary's Cathedral, where they gathered to hear Mass and pray during the flu epidemic in San Francisco, California.
The congregation prayed on the steps of St. Mary's Cathedral, where they gathered to hear Mass and pray during the flu epidemic in San Francisco, California.
Photo: Hulton Archives / Getty Images
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An American policeman wearing an "anti-flu mask" to protect himself from the outbreak of the Spanish flu after the First World War
An American policeman wearing an "anti-flu mask" to protect himself from the outbreak of the Spanish flu after the First World War
Photo: Specialized Press Agency / Getty Images
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Red Cross volunteers fighting against the Spanish flu epidemic in the United States in 1918.
Red Cross volunteers fighting against the Spanish flu epidemic in the United States in 1918.
Photo: Apic / Getty Images
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The picture shows a baseball player wearing a mask during the 1918 flu epidemic.
The picture shows a baseball player wearing a mask during the 1918 flu epidemic.
Photo: George Rinhart / Corbis Via Getty Images
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Photo: Bettmann / Bettmann Archives
Women wear surgical cloth masks to protect themselves against the flu. An influenza epidemic in the world killed 20 million people between 1918 and 1920.
Women wear surgical cloth masks to protect themselves against the flu. An influenza epidemic in the world killed 20 million people between 1918 and 1920.
Photo: Bettmann / Bettmann Archives
Photos: What did the flu look like 100 years ago
If you have not received your flu shot yet, you may want to do it soon.
Last year, the influenza season was the deadliest in 40 years, killing 80,000 Americans in late 2017 and early 2018, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of deaths from seasonal flu is between 12,000 and 56,000, according to the CDC.
Related: Get vaccinated against the flu and do it early, advise the experts
But the situation was even worse in 1918, when the Spanish flu had killed millions of people around the world. Learn more about the history of the Spanish flu from the Houston Chronicle.
Looking back: Below are some reports from 1918 that highlight the impact of the Spanish flu on the Albany region.
September 26, 1918: Magdalena Newman, a nurse graduate of Clinton Street in Albany, died while she was nursing sick soldiers at St. Joseph Hospital in Syracuse. She became the first nurse in the country to die as a result of the Spanish flu epidemic. Newman had fallen ill two weeks earlier but stayed at work because she knew the hospital was short of nurses. After a few days, she gave in and her sister went to her death and brought her body home.
September 27, 1918: Sgt. Everitt Van Valkenburgh from Yates Street in Albany died at Camp Beauregard in Louisiana; pneumonia was the immediate cause of death, but it was caused by the Spanish flu. Mrs. Everitt Collins, the soldier's mother, was informed that a military guard would accompany the body to Albany and that he would then be buried with all the military honors at Cobleskill.
September 30, 1918: Three cases of Spanish flu were reported in one day in Saratoga Springs: Mrs. Maul L. Hunt, supervisor at Woolworth, who died after being sick for one week; Carl H. Burpee, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Burpee; and George Thomas Shayne, 29, died of a short illness.
October 2, 1918: Mrs. Harry Emmett from Greenwich died at home of the Spanish flu. Her husband had died a week earlier from the same illness and her mother, Mrs. William Schermerhorn, of Lake George, succumbed to the flu a few days before her daughter. The two young children of the Emmetts had also been seriously ill, but they were now on the road to recovery as they had become orphans.
October 4, 1918: Two young men from Rensselaer, both enlisted, died while serving in military camps. A soldier from Albany was seriously ill, according to a telegram received by his mother. A nurse from Albany caught the flu from soldiers she was treating at the hospital. In the meantime, the number of people struck by members of the New York State College of Teachers' Army Training Corps has increased to 64.
October 9, 1918: The influenza epidemic continued to wreak havoc throughout the region. The number of cases reported in Albany has exceeded 1,200, with 201 coming in a day. Congressman George R. Lunn of Schenectady and his three children have all been diagnosed with the disease. Two adult sisters and their cousin who lived together were beaten; one sister died and the other women were in critical condition. Two other soldiers died at the Army Training Camp at the State College for Teachers. And Helen Davis, 17, served as the maid of honor at the wedding of her older sister, Josephine, on Tuesday; she fell Tuesday night into a fever, which quickly evolved into a flu, followed by her death Wednesday morning of pneumonia.
October 11, 1918: The head of health, Dr. Arthur Sautter, issued an order stating that all the churches in Albany would be closed and that no service would be required for the first time, no one because of the influenza pandemic Spanish who ravaged the capital region. Quarantine on theaters, schools and churches was to be completed on Saturday, but Sautter called for the extension, in part because Albany recorded 14 additional deaths related to the disease in the previous 24 hours and 332 new case per day at 1 pm
October 12, 1918: Mrs. John Green, 28, died of flu in Albany's Homeopathic Hospital after being brought there the night before. Her husband had died the previous week of the flu in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he worked for the General Electric Company. His body was taken to his parents' home in Rensselaer for funerals and shortly thereafter his wife became ill.
October 15, 1918William Furlong, the famous funeral director at 10 Broad Street, Albany, who has been busy arranging with many of the city's residents killed by the Spanish flu, has himself been a victim of the disease. The 40-year-old man had contracted the flu four days earlier on Friday, but pneumonia quickly settled in and on Tuesday he was dead. He is survived by a brother, Edward, with whom he has lived, and a sister, Mrs. Charles Wolford, from eastern Bern.
Click on the slideshow above to see archive footage of the 1918 Spanish flu.
