How did William Goegas help the people of Panama?
1 Answer
Eradication of Yellow Fever.
Explanation:
William C. Gorgas was a medical officer in the United States Army. Yellow Fever was a devastating disease which was endemic in tropical America.
In 1891 mosquitoes were identified as the carriers of Yellow Fever. In 1898, soon after the end of the Spanish-American war, Gorgas was posted to Havana, where he followed an aggressive program of mosquito control which resulted in Yellow Fever disappearing from the city.
When Gorgas learned of the United States' intention to build a canal through Panama, he asked to be posted there. Duplicating his efforts in Havana, he pursued aggressive measures to control the mosquito population, and by 1906 the Canal Zone was free of Yellow Fever. His efforts also resulted in the eradication of Malaria in that area a few years later.
