Control of typhus fever in Finland during World War II.
The article describes the measures taken against the threat of typhus epidemic in Finland during the Second World War. Comparisons between countries at war and their different typhus prevention methods are made. The main method of typhus prevention in Finland consisted of regular sauna bathing, which was culturally acceptable and very efficient when combined with heating of the clothing. The Finnish troops remained virtually louse-free by ecological and traditional methods, and thus the spread of typhus fever in the army could be prevented.
Department of Social Sciences History, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. helene.laurent@helsinki.fi
Helene
H
Laurent
D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005387:Finland; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000266:history; D029002:Steam Bath / Q000266:history; D014438:Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D047789:World War II