Final answer:
George Washington and other officials fled Philadelphia during the 1793 yellow fever outbreak, with local figures and citizens taking care of the sick until the epidemic subsided after the first frost killed the mosquito vectors.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, George Washington and other government officials evacuated the city to escape the outbreak. Without presidential leadership to guide the response, it fell to local figures, such as the physician and Founding Father Benjamin Rush, and ordinary citizens to provide care for the sick. In the absence of a scientific understanding of the disease at the time, the outbreak resolved only after the first frost of autumn killed the mosquitoes that were spreading yellow fever.
The scenario illustrates how, historically, responses to epidemics have been managed without centralized leadership—relying on community efforts—contrasting with more recent outbreaks where government intervention played a crucial role, like the foundation of the White House Coronavirus Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic.