| Résumé : |
World War II (WWII) began on September 1, 1939, when the Nazi German army invaded Poland and progressed relentlessly towards Warsaw. After silence from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and several members of the British Empire declared war on September 3, 1939. Belgium's involvement in WWII began on May 10, 1940, when the Nazi army invaded Belgium on its way to France and Belgium was occupied by the Germans from May 28, 1940 until liberation by the allies. In 1850, the TB mortality rate was 376.7/100,000 and fell to 155.2/100,000 in 1900. As in most of Europe, TB mortality increased strikingly in WWI though less in WWII. But in 1941, TB mortality rose sharply to 98.3/100,000, remained high in 1942 to 95.3/100,000 and then fell progressively to 77.8/100,000in 1945. Only in 1946 did the rate fall below that at the beginning of the war. The destruction and requisition of TB facilities worsened the plight of the rising number of active TB patients. The socioeconomic situation was desperate: 13% of men were prisoners of war; calories were restricted, malnutrition was prevalent. Nevertheless, TB treatement and prevention efforts, though compromised, were ongoing. |
Tuberculosis in Belgium before, during, and after World War II (2018)
