typhus

A severe and dangerous infectious disease that led to the death of tens of thousands of prisoners in Nazi concentration camps, including Anne Frank. Typhus is caused by bacteria transmitted by lice or fleas. The overcrowding, the lack of bathing or laundry facilities, and the undernourishment typical of the camp environment allowed the disease to spread rapidly.

Typhus can be treated with antibiotics, but as these were not available to Nazi prisoner populations, surviving the illness depended on an individual's resistance. SS doctors initially attached little importance to combating the causes of typhus in camps, but were encouraged to take preventive measures in the face of epidemic typhus that infected camp authorities as well as prisoners. Mass selection for the gas chambers of people with symptoms of typhus, more frequent fumigation of clothing, the disinfection of barracks, and showers for prisoners were among the means used to fight the typhus epidemic.