The First Wave of the 1918 Flu

During the first wave, the flu raged globally from around March to June through August. Over 200,000 British soldiers who were stationed in France were hit hard enough that they could not report for duty. The second wave was the more lethal wave and it first took hold on US soil by many accounts at Camp Devins outside Boston. Up to 20% of soldiers were sick at one time and descriptions of the progression of the disease were horrifying. So let's hear some more symptoms of the 1918 flu: Extreme pain. Bleeding from mucous membranes. Blood spurting out of your nose. All internal organs affected.