Abstract
ACCOBDING to an editorial article in the December issue of the Statistical Bulletin, the health of American troops in Great Britain and other places in the temperate zone has been maintained at an extraordinarily high level. On the other hand, a host of new problems is being found in the tropical and subtropical regions in the form of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, typhus, dysentery, yellow fever, plague and cholera. Of these, malaria is by far the most serious problem. Its control is difficult as there is no specific prophylactic method. The disease, however, can be checked by routine administration of quinine or synthetic drugs, especially atabrine. Intestinal disorders, including dysentery, are also a serious problem in the tropics. Preventive control requires strict adherence to sanitary methods and instruction of the men to protect themselves. Typhus is not confined to eastern and south-eastern Europe ; North Africa is an important focus of the disease, as is shown by the fact that severe epidemics have occurred recently from Morocco to Egypt. Immunization has been applied, but its value has still to be confirmed. The incidence of illness due to exposure to heat is far less among seasoned troops than among new arrivals. In conclusion, the article states that sickness- and death-rates among the American troops are appreciably lower than during the War of 1914-18, in the tropics as well as in other regions.
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Health of American Troops Abroad. Nature 151, 529–530 (1943). https://doi.org/10.1038/151529d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/151529d0