Typhoid and the military in the early 20th century / Christoph Gradmann, Mark Harrison, and Anne Rasmussen

BACKGROUND: In the decades following the discovery of the bacillus causing typhoid, in 1880, understanding of the disease formerly known as enteric fever was transformed, offering new possibilities for prevention. Gradually, measures that aimed to prevent infection from human carriers were developed, as were inoculations designed to confer immunity against typhoid and paratyphoid fevers. These were initially introduced in European armies that were regularly ravaged by typhoid, especially garrisons stationed in the colonies. This article reviews the research undertaken in the armed forces and the measures that they implemented in the years up to and during the First World War. METHODS: The article is based on an analytical review of scientific literature from the early 19th century, focusing on the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. RESULTS: The armies of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France undertook important work on the transmission of typhoid in the years between 1890 and 1918. Many preventive measures were introduced to deal with the spread of typhoid but these varied between the 3 countries, depending largely on their political traditions. Inoculation was particularly successful in preventing typhoid and greatly reduced the number of casualties from this disease during the First World War. Despite this, it proved difficult to prevent paratyphoid infection, and debates continued over which vaccines to use and whether or not immunization should be voluntary. CONCLUSIONS: By the end of the First World War, the value of inoculation in preventing the spread of typhoid had been proven. Its successful implementation demonstrates the importance of vaccination as a public health intervention during times of conflict and social upheaval..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2019

Erschienen:

2019

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:69

Enthalten in:

Clinical infectious diseases - 69(2019), Suppl 5, Seite 385-S387

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Gradmann, Christoph, 1960- [VerfasserIn]
Harrison, Mark, 1964- [VerfasserIn]
Rasmussen, Anne [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext
Volltext

Themen:

Carrier isolation
Communicable Disease Control
Compulsory vaccination
France
Germany
Health Plan Implementation
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
Humans
Military Medicine
Military Personnel
Paratyphoid Fever
Public Health
Public health history
Salmonella typhi
Typhoid Fever
Typhoid control
Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines
United Kingdom
Vaccination
World War I

Anmerkungen:

Gesehen am 14.05.2021

Umfang:

3

doi:

10.1093/cid/ciz672

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

175777419X