Health care in the Vilna ghetto

The distinguished medical tradition of Jewish Vilna was maintained during the ghetto years, 1941-1943. The large number of physicians and other medical personnel in the Vilna ghetto, and the inclusion of the prewar Jewish hospital within its boundaries, made possible an effective medical establishment that worked closely with the ghetto administration. In addition to the hospital, clinic, and other medical institutions, the highly organized Sanitary-Epidemiological Section oversaw the strict enforcement of sanitary regulations. An intensive educational campaign spread health information among the population. These efforts overcame the serious health dangers that characterized the early weeks of the ghetto, and for the remainder of the existence of the ghetto prevented outbreaks of epidemic diseases that otherwise might have resulted in catastrophic death rates.