VDRL, US Public Health Services

 

 

 

                                              World War 1: STI causes Troop Losses 

In earlier wars (like World War I), STIs caused significant troop losses, prompting stricter control in WWII. 

The First World War served as a breeding ground for sexually transmitted diseases. The number of these infections grew massively during the war and eventually spread to the unaffected populous. The most common sexually transmitted infections were gonorrhea and syphilis which quickly spread amongst the troops and weakened their fighting capabilities. At that time, the cure for venereal disease was very expensive, time-consuming and largely ineffective. 

 

                                                         World War 1 To World War 2

During World War II, there was an urgent need to screen military personnel for sexually transmitted infections.  

The VDRL test was formally developed in the 1940s at the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory, part of the United States Public Health Service.   

The VDRL test became a key public health tool because it could be easily deployed on a mass scale.  

 

 

VDRL Test From United States Public Health Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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