Item HT 23762 Badge - Influenza Emergency Worker, 1918-1919

Summary

Badge issued by the government to emergency workers recruited to help health professionals respond to the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.

Physical Description

Breast badge in white metal, pin-backed, reverse plain.

Significance

The 'Spanish' influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 arrived in Australia in October 1918, and would kill over 12,500 Australians in the following twelve months. The Commonwealth and State governments struggled to provide sufficient medical care for the tens of thousands of patients who fell ill. In Melbourne, the Exhibition Building was transformed into a fever hospital capable of housing up to 500 patients at a time. Over a period of six months, 4,000 patients passed through the Exhibition Hospital, of whom 392 would die.