It was a cold winter and most of the railway construction workers were living in tents. In and around Coolah 10 persons succumbed to the epidemic.

One was Mrs Nancy Davis of Hannahs Bridge. Her two sons were admitted to the Coolah hospital emergency department but survived.

Coolah persons who died from the disease were; returned soldiers William Keain, Robert Peisley, both from the Oban Soldiers Settlement; Herbert Bruce a local postal assistant; Jack George a farm worker; John Henry Seabrook managing editor of the Coolah Advocate; and Mrs Mirrie May Holland.

A railway construction worker on the Craboon-Coolah line, Michael Loftus was another casualty. He was 32 years of age and prior to admission to hospital was considered a man of excellent physique. His father Michael Loftus was in charge of bridge construction on the line to Coolah.

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A local epidemic relief organisation, with James Yule the shire clerk as its secretary, was set up in Coolah. The organisation immediately appealed for help in the way of voluntary nurses, aids, cooks, messengers, and the like.

Requests were made for gifts of food and subscriptions to defray the cost of medical attention and for relief to needy families. A special nurse by the name of Barnes was sent from Sydney by the Department of Public Health to assist the local medico Dr Henry Patrich Blaney.

Fortunately at the time Coolah had an isolation building, constructed in 1913, and on the hospital grounds. Isolation restrictions were placed on the Coolah area by the Department of Public Health.

Masking was in force in all public buildigs, stores, workshops, shearing sheds and others. All indoor amusements and public gatherings were prohibited. The pubic school was closed.

In the Coolah area the epidemic tapered off by the end of 1919, but continued for another three years with local Michael Fitzpatrick passing away in 1922.