The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

by John M. Barry

By early October the first fall outbreaks and the memory of those in the spring had already suggested that the virus attacked in a cycle; it took roughly six weeks from the appearance of the first cases for the epidemic to peak and then abate in civilian areas, and from three to four weeks in a military camp with its highly concentrated population. After the epidemic abated, cases still occurred intermittently, but not in the huge numbers that overwhelmed all services. So Red Cross and Public Health Service planners expected the attack would be staggered just as the arrival of the virus was staggered, peaking in different parts of the country at different times. During the peak of the epidemic, individual communities would not be able to cope; no matter how well organized they were they would be utterly overwhelmed. But if the Red Cross and Public Health Service could concentrate doctors, nurses, and supplies in one community when most needed, they might be able to withdraw the aid as the disease ebbed and shift it to the next area in need, and the next.