Prince Edward Island was not immune to the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918-1919 just as World War I was coming to an end. It’s believed the flu began on a farm in Kansas in the U.S. in the spring of 1918. It was dubbed the Spanish flu because neutral Spain was the first to publicize it in newspapers. The first wave hit that spring but a far more lethal second wave struck in August, 1918. The respiratory flu developed into pneumonia which had no cure at the time. It struck many young adults between 20 and 40.
The flu hit PEI in late September, two months before the end of the War. By mid October schools were closed, church services were cancelled and all public gatherings were cancelled including funerals.
Charlottetown lifted the ban on public gatherings in early November. But it spread from the city to rural areas and eventually took 375 lives and likely more with thousands infected.
The Spanish flu began to peter out in mid-February in 1919 but affected many families on PEI.
