Forced Bathings in Hajdú County

During a typhoid fever scare, authorities in Hajdú County began large-scale “disinfection” of Roma communities. Lice powder was sent from Budapest, and health patrols—assisted by police and sometimes the army—conducted compulsory bathings, DDT spraying, and frequent full depilation, regardless of actual medical need. These procedures were deeply humiliating: people were stripped, mocked, and had their clothes disinfected separately. Despite being presented as public-health measures, they targeted Roma specifically, reinforcing stereotypes portraying them as inherently unclean and disease-bearing.