فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background and Aim: With the Allied invasion, the southern half of Iran became the scene of a widespread presence of British and American occupying forces. The negative consequences of the foreign elements’ domination throughout the years of the war and even after it affected these regions in various dimensions and caused problems for the health and medical system of this part of the country in various forms of shortage of medicine, equipment and medical staff, the spread of various infectious and contagious diseases, addiction, mental and sexually transmitted diseases and food poverty. The present article aims to examine the health effects of World War II on the southern, southwestern and eastern regions of Iran in the years 1324-1318 AH and its consequences on these regions. Accordingly, the author, relying on first-hand sources, tries to answer the question of how World War II affected the health structure of the southern regions of Iran? Methods: The method is a historical analysis based on the library method and the study of unpublished document data from the archives of the National Archives and Library Organization, medical and socio-economic journals and various local and general Iranian newspapers during this period. Ethical Considerations: In this article, the originality of the text, honesty and trustworthiness have been respected in referring to sources and using other data. Results: With the collapse of the first Pahlavi government and the crises resulting from the negative consequences of the occupation of Iran by the Allies, the growth process of the southern coastal borders of the country was in crisis and stagnation and collapse covered most of the social, economic, security and especially health sectors of these regions. The spread of some new diseases resulting from the arrival of thousands of foreign soldiers and Polish refugees who were carriers of infectious diseases, the shortage of medicine and medical equipment, mental illnesses, addiction, poverty and prostitution, child deaths, severe physical weakness resulting from widespread malnutrition and artificial famine were examples of these consequences. An examination of these negative factors shows that the health status of the southern coastal areas of Iran during the presence of foreign occupiers has undergone a completely reverse trend compared to the period of Reza Shah's rule (1304-1320 AH). Conclusion: The study of documents and newspapers shows that due to the political and military problems of the central government, the restrictive policies of the Allies, the severe weakness of economic infrastructure, the lack of proper communication lines and the shortage of means of transportation, the lack of attention to local employment-generating industries, the smuggling of public food, the abandonment of development projects, insecurity, successive waves of famine and widespread malnutrition, epidemic diseases and drug hoarding, these regions experienced a period of economic decline, widespread poverty, backwardness and ultimately a severe decline in the level of public health.