Recently I explored the Cumberland Museum's newspaper archives for the year 1918, the year of the Spanish Influenza epidemic that killed millions of people worldwide.

Several cases of the flu were treated in Cumberland, schools and meeting places were shut down for a couple of weeks. Evidently, the epidemic did not gain a firm foothold here due, in part to precautions taken, many of which are the same for our era:

1) Keep away from those affected.
2) Enhance your own well-being by eating well, getting plenty of rest, dressing comfortably, getting plenty of fresh air.
3) Wash your hands frequently.
4) Treat sore throats immediately.

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All images are from October 1918 editions of The Islander, published here in Cumberland. Images used with permission of Cumberland Museum & Archives

More about the Spanish Flu epidemic on Wikipedia HERE.