Fight against infectious diseases from ottoman era to republic of turkey

Abstract

Having faced invasions and migrations of numerous tribes and nations for centuries, Anatolia is located in a geographic region where many have settled and thrived to build civilizations such as Gobeklitepe, the oldest recorded human settlement dated back to 10 000 BC. It is therefore only natural for many infectious diseases to reach and prevail in this territory during these invasions and migrations. Starting from the second half of the 19th century, and continuing with the Turkish Republic period, efforts and their consequences in the fight against infectious diseases which caused deep burden to mankind and especially Anatolian nations are reviewed in this article.