Bad flu compared to sci-fi virus

In 1975, Missouri was hit hard by a flu strain so contagious that one local reporter compared it to a virus from science fiction. It was unlikely the Port Chalmers Flu would fizzle out like the Andromeda Strain, however.

On this date in 1925, an Arkansas man seeking new shoes created a scene at downtown Poplar Bluff businesses.

No issues available: Feb. 26, 1950.

100 years ago

Feb. 26, 1925

• A man desperate for shoes caused a bizarre incident in Poplar Bluff today.

“The man appeared at the Lorenz-Knower store and informed the merchants that unless they presented him with a pair of shoes he would get them if he had to break in through a window and steal them,” The Daily Republican reported. When his frankness didn’t get him free footwear, the stranger tried the same strategy at other stores.

Officers were called. The man refused to give his name but told them he was from Corning, Arkansas, and claimed several sources had refused to help him. Police gave him half an hour to leave city limits.

50 years ago

Feb. 26, 1975

• Influenza may have reached science fiction proportions. Daily American Republic writer Kent Ford compared this year’s flu, the Port Chalmers strain from New Zealand, to Michael Crichton’s highly contagious “Andromeda Strain” from the eponymous novel and film. The fictional disease eventually mutated into a harmless agent, but Ford was doubtful Missourians would be so lucky.

Port Chalmers Flu, Type A strain arrived in the state at the beginning of January. State Epidemiologist Dr. Denny Donnell reported within three weeks its death rate was 34% above the epidemic threshold, a “level of mortality that is considered excessive.” The Center for Health’s most recent statistics reported 252 flu deaths, the majority in patients older than 65. In the same period, in 1974, 189 deaths were recorded.

Poplar Bluff Hospital said about 100 flu cases were admitted since the first of the year and doctors treated over 1,500 outpatient cases. Surprisingly, this year’s epidemic has gone easier on local schools, causing only 500 absences in a single day (at most) compared to 1,300 last year.

Donnell said “pure influenza” was capable of killing, but most deaths arose from bacterial complications like pneumonia. He also explained the flu spreads year-round but is most widespread in winter because cold weather weakens the body’s resistance to infection.

Besides getting vaccinated, public health workers recommended avoiding crowds, eating a balanced diet and taking care of oneself to reduce chances of illness. Fruit juice and aspirin, though not a cure, could reduce symptoms and shorten the duration for flu sufferers.