EUROPE’S HEALTH GOOD

Southland Times, Issue 25680, 24 May 1945, Page 5

EUROPE’S HEALTH GOOD

SPREAD OF TYPHUS PREVENTED

.(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 22. Major-General W. F. Draper, chief of the public health branch of SHAEF, said today that the health of Germany was excellent, and, from his personal observation, he had found that the Germans were more robust • and better nourished than many people he had seen in Britain. “Germany has sufficient food for. 60 days,” he said. “After that there may be serious developments. The Germans are certainly not going to get more than the people of the liberated countries.”

The health of the people of Europe was not in the catastrophic state that had been expected. Only the poor had suffered extremely as there was food, even in occupied countries for those able to pay for it. Statistics did not bear out the belief that Europe after five years of war was riddled with epidemics and starvation. Public health figures, indeed, were rapidly approaching the 1939 levels which was tremendously encouraging, considering the number of deaths due to violence.

Major-General Draper said that Europe, with millions living under abnormal conditions, was set for a typhus epidemic of catastrophic proportions, but it did not develop because of preventive measures. Only 7893 cases of typhus, 1500 of them in Belsen camp, were recorded in Germany after the Allies’ entry, and these were under control as the result of the liberal use of a new powder. Of the millions of fighting men in Europe, only two had contracted typhus, both slightly. The death rate for every thousand in France was 15.5 in 1939 and 16.9 in 1943, Belgium 13.7 in 1937 and 13.4 in 1943.

Referring to Holland, MajorGeneral Draper said: “We expected to find terrible conditions there, but we did not need the special teams which stood by for action.”