The Russian Civil War of 1918–1922 brought famine, devastation and terrible diseases to the country. Cholera, dysentery, pox, parasitic typhus — the fight against these diseases became a task of national importance. The epidemic typhus was especially far-reaching. The disease raged not only in the rear, but also at the front.

Epidemic typhus, or typhus, is a serious disease that spreads from an infected person to a healthy person through an infected body louse that lives in the folds of clothing. The causative organism of the disease is Rickettsia prowazekii. Symptoms of typhus include weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, chills, fever, dry and red skin, joint pain, headache, heavy and cogwheel breathing, and restless sleep. Often the patients can even become delusional. A few days after the onset of the disease, a rash appears on the skin. If the body copes with the fever and complications, then after about two weeks a sick person will recover.

The hardships of war, famine and wounds seriously weakened the immunity of both civilians and soldiers. From 1918 to 1923 alone, over seven million cases of epidemic typhus were reported in the country.
In 1919, the Soviet government began to fight against the disease. Vladimir Lenin at the Seventh All-Russian Congress of Soviets said,

In the absence of effective medicine for the treatment of typhus, preventive measures and educating the population on the health matters became a weapon against the disease. One of the examples of graphic campaign materials of that period is the poster with the title “Comrades! Fight infection, destroy the lice!” which is displayed in the museum’s exhibition.

In the center of the poster there is a large picture of the new enemy of a Soviet soldier — the typhus louse. Above it, the artist depicted the bodies of the killed White Guards symbolizing already defeated enemy. At the bottom of the poster there are the personal hygiene rules that help prevent typhus: bathing, thorough washing and rigorous beating of clothes.