In 1917, an epidemic of plague spread in Ahmedabad. Not only was there an outbreak in dirty areas, people died in some posh colonies too. This led Patel to guess that people did not know how to deal with the plague.
That is why he took some people with him and formed a committee which started working towards getting rid of this epidemic. There was a danger of his life in this work but Patel and his companions did great service to the people, without caring for their lives. This brought great satisfaction to his soul.
This was the first time that Vallabhbhai had tasted the satisfaction generated by social service. While serving the patients, Patel himself also came under the grip of plague. Patel immediately sent his family elsewhere and himself went to live in a ruined temple where he slowly recovered.