FIGHT AGAINST DISEASE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 11 June 1945, Page 4

FIGHT AGAINST DISEASE

HEALTH OF EUROPE Wellington, This Day. “Protracted hunger and inadequate shelter and clothing are rapidly breeding disease in Europe today.” said Dr. W, B. Sutch, Chief Supply and Requirements Officer of UXKRA. South-west Pacific Area, in an interview. “Children are anion? the worst hit victims. Specially in Eastern Europe has malnutrition caused a high percentage of tuberculosis and rickets. During each of the last two years, a million people in Europe have been reported with diphtheria, and this does not include the Soviet Union. A heavy toll has been taken ’by typhus and malignant malaria. "In addition to the specific menace of typhus, the incidence of all the common infections diseases has doubled or trebled in that part of the EtirojieaM Continent for which statistics arc available, and these statistics conic from tin* populations of the countries which are less desperately afflicted.” added Dr. Sutch. *Uti the last war. on the public health front, the fight against disease lasted not four years, but 10. In this war. the health of the people of Europe has been put even further hack and it will again take several years to win the fight. "L'XKRA is working bard to assist in this fight. In some parts pre-digested food is taken to help treat victims suffering from the*effeotß of starvation. Special types of food for expectunt and nursing mothers, and for infants, are being rushed to needy areas. In Greece, in the military control programme. CXRKA is planning to use. aeroplanes for spraying the