Pandemic Influenza Storybook
This website is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.
The CDC’s Pandemic Flu Storybook provides readers with a look at the impact pandemic flu events have had on both survivors and the families and friends of non-survivors. These stories are not folklore, but personal recollections. This collection of stories was first released in 2008 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1918 flu pandemic.
Survivors share their intimate recollections of either their own illness or that of a loved one.
Plantings — that is the way one storyteller described his job of hastily burying those who had died from the flu.
In addition to adjusting to a new culture and learning a new language, recent immigrants also had to cope with a deadly flu pandemic.
The 1957 flu pandemic was deadly, but milder than the 1918 event.
The family stories described in this section define true courage amid unbearable loss.
People tried a variety of methods to cure the sick — some practical and effective, others questionable and amusing.
Military personnel were greatly impacted by the virus and many young recruits were dead from the flu before they ever saw combat.
The collection of stories by those impacted by flu sorted by state for quick reference.