European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 29, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse                                X d x. V Viv vis in in x Xixi i Elj Ali tie hours us Ilu a Keit a Haruni ought to pen of a nov if Vontur alot a  Toi 11 y of in to the history  i h a a Darin Tan a done to Ait Mot the Battle for health began with the children. Here children displaced for on reason or another from the russian zone Are taught in a British zone refugee Camp left the firs elements of cleanliness. Many of these children saw soap for the first time in their lives at this Camp. At right a swedish medical team one of several from Scandinavia working in Germany administers anti tuberculosis vaccine to a Berlin schoolgirl. As Many As 1,800 shots Yere administered daily in the Battle to reduce Germany s tuberculosis rate which is still twice As feh As in tfcwip.s., though it has fallen since the War As have the rates of Many other diseases. The medics report ii health Iii 1 prompt effective Public health Mea sures adopted by american occupation forces in Germany since 1945 rolled Back the threat of postwar epidemics and made possible the redevelop ment of the German Public health system in four  the health Battle in postwar Western Germany was won is describe Din an article written by it col Walter r. Deforest chief of the medical affair Section of the Hico Public health and welfare Branch in the Neucom medical  be Day occupation forces in the . Zone successfully battled contagious diseases recognized and averted malnutrition among the German Popula Tion undertook mass inoculations checked venereal diseases and aided the German Public health system to get Back on its feet his article said. Thorny health problems still facing the occupation authorities according to de Forest include. 1basic economic and social problem caused by Lack of housing proper Sanita Tion and financial resources. 2spread of tuberculosis Germany s. Rate while decreasing is still twice As High As in the .3lack of proper organization of the medical dental and pharmacist proves sions.4modern schools for training doctors and nurses in Public health. 5medical and Public health literature and  . Occupation forces May Well be proud of their record of Public health achievement in the last four and one hair years Deforest wrote. The immediate problem which faced . Mili tary government was to maintain the Public health both for humanitarian reasons and to protect the health of the occupying forces he said. Bombed and partially destroyed cities damaged water supplies crowded Dwel Lings and hundreds of thousands of Dis placed persons refugees and exp Ellees leaving and arriving daily made a con Stant threat of serious epidemic especially typhoid fever. Immediate surveys taken after veday showed shortages in Hospital facilities inadequate supplies of Linen and four year War on epidemics malnutrition won but much remains to restore prewar conditions a stars and stripes report bandages and shortages of medicines. Hand in hand with the redevelopment of German Public health went the re opening of pharmaceutical plants and the repair of hospitals with priority in materials. Meanwhile German personnel in the Public health agencies and the health professions had to be Dena Ifield. Contagious diseases such As diphtheria tuberculosis and typhoid fever did in crease but riot alarmingly so and at notice were they out of control Deforest wrote. Fortunately typhus fever did not break out in the ."  m ass inoculations were undertake quickly in areas where diseases preventable by such Means were be coming a danger. Water systems were re paired chlorination provided or warnings were posted to boil All drinking water. Acute shortage in food supplies were followed by increasing evidence of malnutrition. A continuous appraisal of the nutritional state of the population became necessary arid two program were begun to accomplish this continuous appraisal of incipient malnutrition. The first was a. Weighing plan first conducted by americans and later by germans. This required that some 100,-000 persons be selected at random in age groups Over 20 years. Each Mont they were weighed and from changes in the observed weights it was possible to evaluate the trends of malnutrition. Lowest Point iry average body weights was reached in the second Quarter of1947, when the average weight of adult females was Down to 118.7 pounds an that of the adult males to 134.5 pounds. However with the feeding program instituted by the americans improvement became apparent. By january 1949. The feeding plan was no longer necessary and discontinued. Deforest wrote. The second program was known As the nutrition team Survey which surveyed periodically the nutritional status in cities of populations Over 25,000. And inthe Western sectors of Berlin. Anticipating the changeover from a operational to an observational advisory and reporting phase . Military government in March 1946, ordered the Ger Man ministers president of the three Lander to establish nutritional Survey teams of germans and the american teams were withdrawn. Another problem which affected the health of the occupation forces Deforest reported was the rapid increase i venereal disease resulting indirectly from the thousands of homeless wanderers the Lack of sanitary conditions and the Lack of drugs for treatment Peak of the postwar German venereal disease curves on new cases reported was reached in August 1946, when theper annul rates for syphilis were 30 cases per 10.000 population and for gonorrhoea 90 cases per 10,000. In january 1946, according to Deforest the German Public health groups had been reorganized sufficiently so the could assume local cd responsibility in february , Public health personnel were withdrawn below the state level. P penicillin supplies from the .and great Britain were adequate to Start a vigorous Campaign for the treatment of venereal diseases. There is reason to believe that the downward trend in venereal disease which was first noted in september 1946 was brought about largely by the importation and widespread use of penicillin and the setting up of some 96 venereal disease treatment  Deforest declared. Since september 1946, the incidence of venereal disease in the . Zone has steadily decreased. In the second Quarter of 1949. The incidence of syphilis had gone Down to 11.2 per 10,000 population per annul and gonorrhoea was 23 per 10.004population per annul. Despite food St Portage and the High incidence of disease the birth rate in Ger Many increased and the death rate de creased. The birth rate was in its sharpest de Cline in the fourth Quarter of 1947, when the births were 16.3 per 1,000 population per atrium compared to the average of 24.6 per 14 00 in the . Total mortality rate was at its Peak also in the last part of 1947, when the rate was 15.4 deaths per 1,000 persons per annul compared to 11.1 per 1.009 in the . R reflecting improvements in Public health work was the situation Iberlin where a 1949 review by Berlin element Public health officials disclose that rates for nearly All communicable diseases decreased during the past Yearin the Western sectors. Tuberculosis and syphilis records showed the most remarkable improvement. . Sector death rates decreased from12.9 per 1,000 population for the last six months of 1948 to 10.2 for a similar period in 1949. The incidence of to was 56.6 per 10, 000 population in the first Quarter of 1948.but had dropped to 39.8 during the july december period of 1949. An even greater decrease was note during the past year in the incidence of syphilis in Berlin s Western sectors. Tharath dropped from 30.9 per 10,000 in the first half of 1948 to 12.1 in the last half of 1949._the swedish red Cross made a major contribution to the West sector health program by conducting mass vaccinations of Berlin children Between the age of 1 and 18, As part of a worldwide Campaign to combat tuberculosis. Officials said the single dark Patch inthe City s 1949 health picture was the Rise inline incidence of Scarlet fever. Inthe . Sector alone the number of Scarlet fever cases Rose from 26 during last july to 158 in december. German health officials pointed , that the increase was expected and that the incidence if compared to prewar Anres. Has not assumed epidemic proportion. T