The grip results from badly ventialated buildings and the after effects are worse than the disease. Patients are left with impoverished, thin blood and nervous trouble. Helpfully the condition can be addressed by Dr Williams' pills that are readily available at the local pharmacy. The end of the shipyard strike is interpreted as ending the "aid and comfort" it represented to the enemy.
Source: "After Effects of The Grip," Barre Daily Times, Barre, Vermont, February 18, 1918. Page 2, Column 4.