Typhus in occupied Lviv between 1941 and 1944 (on the basis of Gazeta Lwowska and Lwiwśki wisti)

One of the diseases that provoked widespread fear during the Second World War was typhus. Memory of the mass deaths it had caused during the previous conflict produced well-grounded fears among front-line soldiers and civilians (despite the existence of innoculations, which were hard to obtains). On the basis of two contemporary journals, this article demonstrates the course of the disease in the realia of occupied Lwiw, the presentation of the issue in the press, and methods of combatting the epidemic. Despite fears, death from typhus in occupied Lwiw was relatively small, which can probably be explained both by measures adopted and the functioning in that city of an institution producing an effective vaccine. The exception was the Jewish ghetto, where, as a result of deliberate Nazi policies, the disease caused an enormous number of deaths. Typhus was also an important element in Nazi propaganda, which is also reflected in the columns of the Lwiw press

One of the diseases that provoked widespread fear during the Second World War was typhus. Memory of the mass deaths it had caused during the previous conflict produced well-grounded fears among front-line soldiers and civilians (despite the existence of innoculations, which were hard to obtains). On the basis of two contemporary journals, this article demonstrates the course of the disease in the realia of occupied Lwiw, the presentation of the issue in the press, and methods of combatting the epidemic. Despite fears, death from typhus in occupied Lwiw was relatively small, which can probably be explained both by measures adopted and the functioning in that city of an institution producing an effective vaccine. The exception was the Jewish ghetto, where, as a result of deliberate Nazi policies, the disease caused an enormous number of deaths. Typhus was also an important element in Nazi propaganda, which is also reflected in the columns of the Lwiw press