Jaundice and German army 1942

In Adelbert Holl´s book " An infantryman in Stalingrad " it is mentioned:

" There was only a single track to Kalach over which our army was supplied, creating difficulties with the supply of various foodstuffs. The consequence of this was an increase in cases of jaundice, an illnes which had previoosly only rarely occurred amongst the troops."

Wonder if anyone knows or has seen any figures because this obviously is a problem for the 6th Army?

 

Anyone read about this? Thanx for any info.

 

I know the US had an outbreak of Hepatitis leading to Jaundice during The ‘30 and the war years. This article also talks about the Germans fighting it during WWI.
Mortality and Morbidity Among Military Personnel and Civilians During the 1930s and World War II From Transmission of Hepatitis During Yellow Fever Vaccination: Systematic Review
Not exactly what you were looking for, but interesting none the less IMO.

 

Jaundice is not a disease, but a symptom:
It occurs when bilirubin, which is normally excreted in the stool, accumulates in the body.
In Stalingrad, the main cause was almost certainly a so-called "Protein–energy malnutrition (PEM)", and because of the absolutely inadequate supply situation, it was probably correspondingly frequent.
If statistics were ever compiled on this, they are unlikely to have left the Stalingrad Pocket.
I doubt in view of the indescribable conditions that one has dealt with it at all in the last weeks.

 

Some 20 years ago I heard from some Finnish SS volunteers when they were in the Caucasus area practically they all had diarrhoea at some time. They used the shovel and threw it away. Bacterial or viral, we never know.