World War I disease is spreading among Ukrainian soldiers

Gas gangrene – a disease associated with the trenches of World War I – appears to have returned to the war in Ukraine. If not treated in time, the mortality rate is practically 100%.

According to , Ukrainian doctors are reporting cases of gas gangrene – a condition once closely associated with the trenches of World War I and long considered virtually eradicated in Europe.

Gas gangrene is a serious muscle infection caused mainly by bacteria Clostridiumnamed for the gas bubbles that form beneath the skin. The bacteria Clostridium They thrive in oxygen-deprived necrotic tissue, causing severe pain, swelling, tissue discoloration, and a crackling sensation for the patient as the gas moves.

Treating gas gangrene is difficult, and recovery is far from guaranteed, even in the best hospitals. If not treated in time, the mortality rate is practically 100%..

Gas gangrene is historically associated with World War I due to the unique combination of battlefield conditions, serious injuries, and limited medical care.

According to experts interviewed by the British newspaper, this resurgence of the disease in Ukraine is due to unsanitary conditions in the trenches.

In World War I, soldiers also fought in muddy, damp trenches and in fields often fertilized with manure, both of which carried bacteria. Clostridium.

Bullets and shrapnel caused deep, complex wounds with vast dead tissue, creating the ideal environment for bacteria to thrive. Evacuations and surgical interventions were often delayed and infections spread quickly.

Today, challenges with evacuation and problems with antibiotics are allowing these diseases once thought to be decimated to return.

As Alex, a foreign volunteer doctor in the Zaporizhzhia area, told The Telegraph, Current trenches are also ill-equipped to deal with the complications that cause gas gangrene.

To make matters worse, the wounded soldiers have to wait a long time for assistance.