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Health

2,000 People Suffer From The Epidemic
With Half The City Canvassed This Seems The Probable Number
Some Distress Found
One Family Without Coal Or Cash, Six Ill And No Help, Given Relief

Regina Morning Leader
October 31, 1918. p.9 & 11

NINE DIED YESTERDAY

There were nine deaths from epidemic influenza recorded in the city yesterday, making a total of 122 reported to date as the toll taken by the "Flu" in Regina since the epidemic commenced. There are two or three patients at the hospitals who are seriously sick.

Yesterday's house to house canvass showed that there were 945 people suffering from epidemic influenza in a territory equivalent to about half the city. If the other half, which is being canvassed today, contains a similar proportion there are probably 1,900 to 2,000 sick people in Regina, including the outlying districts such as North Regina and North Annex.

Of the total number of sick cases reported to the canvassers yesterday, 551 were adults and 394 were children making a total of 945. About the same number, it was found, have had the disease and are now recovered.

FIFTY EMERGENCY CASES

Fifty families were found to be emergency cases and required attention. Half of these, however, had been reported before, so that the canvassers only unearthed twenty-five new cases in urgent need of a doctor or a nurse or other relief. Of this number, twenty asked for supplies indicating that there was not much actual financial distress and fifty required a doctor or a nurse or both.

One canvasser reported that in 59 houses visited there had been but nine cases of sickness and these were now convalescent. Another canvasser who visited eighty houses found only two urgent cases.

All cases requiring relief of any kind were immediately reported to the public school organization and it was reported last evening that the requirements in every case had been met.

SOME DISTRESSING CASES

Some of the cases unearthed by the canvassers were distressing. In one houses five or six people were found all sick and with no one to attend them. In another instance a man was found trying to nurse his wife and a number of children without cash or coal in the house. In this particular case an advance was made to the householder to enable him to secure supplies on the security of his Victory bond purchased last year and he expects to be able to redeem the bond in a few days.

The work of canvassing will be completed today, provided there are enough workers turn up at the city hall in response the appeal for assistance for this work. Those who are willing and able to help complete the canvass and asked to report at the city hall at 9 o'clock this morning.

BIG BUSINESS CRIPPLED

A large number of C.P.R. employees in the Regina division are away from their work as a result of the ravages of the epidemic. Yesterday, about 110 employees in this division were reported as sick and considerable difficulty is being experienced in finding sufficient men to handle the traffic. So far as the general offices in the city are concerned, a number of the staff have been away ill but the majority have recovered and are now back at their desks.

Many of the large business institutions find their work seriously crippled on account of the absence of a large percentage of the employees. As an illustration, the staff of one of the big departmental stores was deleted by more than fifty yesterday and majority of the other large concerns are in a similar predicament.

"FLU" BAD AT ROULEAU

Reports from Rouleau last evening were to the effect that ten deaths from influenza have occurred either in the town or in the immediate vicinity. The hotel, which has been transformed into an emergency hospital for the treatment of influenza victims, is accommodating 27 cases, and fifteen young ladies of the town have volunteered their services as nurses and assistants.

The name of Mrs. (Dr.) Burns was yesterday added to the list of deaths from the epidemic. She was the wife of the veterinary surgeon. Seven persons have died of influenza in Rouleau while three more deaths are reported from the immediate district.

Two doctors, Dr. Singleton an Dr. McKean, are working night and day in an endeavor to cope with the situation. Rouleau, however, with two doctors is in a better position from the standpoint of medical aid than many points where there are no doctors for miles around or where all the doctors and nurses are ill.