Salt Lake Telegram | 1951-02-01 | Page 1 | Deadly Typhus Strikes China Reds

Deadly Typhus Strikes China Reels 1 Cuts Culs Troops Ability to tor r Carry arry Fight I I v WASHINGTON ASHINGTON Feb 1 UP UP- UP t A typhus epidemic has hit th thi the c i 1 Chinese Communist troops i In n s t Korea and materially reduced reduce d their fighting fighting- capabilities an disclosed arm army spokesman medical A defense department i i expert said typhus is a flea-borne flea disease particularly apt to be transmitted in areas where conditions conditions condi condi- are unsanitary and there is little opportunity to change clothing clothing clothing cloth cloth- ing frequently He said the disease always has been known to exist in the orient where people sew themselves in inlayers inlayers inlayers layers of clothing during the fall falland falland falland and winter and do not remove them until spring The illness usually is accompanied accompanied b by severe prostration body rash and a high fever The mortality rate is likely to tobe tobe tobe be quite high in areas with se severely severely severely se- se verely cold climate where stricken en persons have little opportunity for adequate care The medical expert expert expert ex ex- pert said he was not speaking particularly particularly particularly par par- of Korea but of cold climates climates cli cli- mates in the orient generally Persons stricken with typhus are arc usually severely se ill for at least two or three weeks in most cases he said