Page View
Military government weekly information bulletin
Number 72 (December 1946)
General, pp. 17-20
PDF (2.1 MB)
Page 17
Steps Taken by MG to Control Disease during Winter Months No major epidemics are expected in the US Zone during the coming winter, accord- ing to the Public Health and Welfare Branch, IA&C Division, OMGUS. Although the average German will enter the winter months with a lower resistance to disease than he had a year ago, medical facilities and supplies for the control of disease have increased to such a extent as to partially offset this danger. The chief worry of public health officials throughout the Zone is the possibility of an epidemic of influenza. According to the influenza cycle for Germany, an epidemic of this disease is considered to be possible this winter. Other factors pointing to the danger are the crowded living conditions and poor sanitary facilities of the German people. The measures necessary for the control of such an outbreak have already been set up and are functioning smoothly, officials said. These measures include influenza "listening posts," which are laboratories manned by American-trained German technicians who keep constant watch for any outbreak of respiratory diseases. Any increase in epidemic influenza, which can be recognized only through special laboratory tests, im- mediately would be reported throughout the Zone and a system of controls put into effect. In the event of a local outbreak of epidemic influenza the threatened community would be isolated and German-produced influenza vaccine rushed to the spot. An im- mediate information campaign would be begun warning the people against the danger of the disease and giving instructions for combating it. Special stocks of US Army hospital sup- plies have been set aside for emergency use to supplement German supplies and facilities in case of an emergency. German supplies of sulfanimides are considered adequate for combating the effects of the epidemic which are sometimes more dangrerol the disease itself. All German posts for the detection and reporting of the disease are in close touch and coordination with US Army posts of the same type. The problem of typhus in the Zone has decreased considerably since a year ago. Public health officials credit this drop to the over-all use of DDT insecticide throughout the Zone with emphasis placed on the treat- ment of incoming refugees and expellees from Eastern Europe. However, local or sporadic outbreaks of the disease are still considered a possibility and necessary ar- rangements for combating the disease have been made throughout the Zone. Diphtheria continues at a rate lower than last year and no epidemic is expected inasmuch as about half of the Zone's children have been inoculated against it. Precau- tionary measures to guard against the spread of any local outbreak have been set up in close cooperation with Army medical of- ficials. Art Transactions MG Law No 52 with respect to transfer of works of art or cultural material has been revised to ease the prohibition against trans- actions in all cultural materials and "objects of art of value or importance, regardless of ownership," It vests authority in the Ministers President to license art dealers in the US Zone, with a proviso for report and inventory of works of art or cultural material of value or importance. The revised law permits transactions in art objects and requires objects valued at more than RM 10,000 to be reported, thus legitimizing one of Germany's important peacetime industries. It facilitates the export of low-priced paintings and other cultural objects against dollar returns, helping in this way to defray the cost of importing food. In addition, the law is expected to give en- 17 I I
As a work of the United States government, this material is in the public domain.| For information on re-use see: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Copyright