Trench fever hits homeless

Homeless people are falling victim to trench fever, a disease rarely seen in Europe since the First World War, experts said today.

Three people, including two rough-sleepers, were struck down by the old wartime illness in London last year. One of the homeless patients died.

Fears that the disease may be rife on the streets grew after French researchers found that 30% of homeless people in Marseilles had been exposed to the bacteria which caused the disease.

Body lice which thrive in dirty clothes and unwashed bedding carry the bacteria and spread it from person to person, the Big Issue reported.

Thousands were affected by trench fever during the First World War as the filthy cramped conditions on the front line created a perfect breeding ground for the lice.

People sleeping rough are equally susceptible to the bug, the magazine for homeless people reported.

Symptoms include a fever similar to flu. The disease itself is rarely fatal and can be treated with antibiotics.

But three people were admitted to St Bartholomew’s hospital in London last year suffering heart valve infections caused by the illness.

Homelessness charity Crisis said it was currently trying to find funding to test people for the disease at Christmas shelters this December.

It was also calling for more government help in providing clean clothes and showers for people sleeping on the streets.

Dr Tim Harrison of the Public Health Laboratory Service said: ‘‘I suspect the situation here is very similar to Marseilles.

‘‘Doctors here are aware of it.’’

He added that doctors feared homeless people would refuse to be tested because of the stigma related to body lice.