Story: Epidemics

Influenza pandemic, Christchurch, 1918 (1st of 3)

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This image displays scenes in Christchurch during the 1918 influenza pandemic. It shows Boy Scouts delivering food to the homes of sick people and a volunteer being driven to visit a patient in a motorcycle sidecar. The central image is of a tram that has been converted to a flu-prevention centre. People queued to be sprayed with a solution of zinc sulfate which was mistakenly believed to kill the flu.

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Christchurch City Libraries
Reference: PhotoCD 6, IMG0094

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How to cite this page:

Geoff Rice, 'Epidemics - The influenza era, 1890s to 1920s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/27788/influenza-pandemic-christchurch-1918 (accessed 26 April 2024)

Story by Geoff Rice, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 8 Feb 2024