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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Further News on Soilder Illness |
| 2003-08-02 |
By PAULINE JELINEK Associated Press Writer August 1, 2003, 12:40 PM EDT WASHINGTON -- The Army is trying to figure out what is causing a rash of serious pneumonia cases, including two fatalities, among soldiers serving in Iraq. A six-person team of specialists was en route to Iraq Friday to investigate 14 cases of pneumonia serious enough that the soldiers had to be put on ventilators to breathe and evacuated from the region, the Army Surgeon General’s office said Friday. Two soldiers died, nine recovered and three were still hospitalized as of Thursday, spokeswoman Lyn Kukral said. The team on its way to Iraq includes infectious disease experts, laboratory officers and people who will take samples of soil, water and air. Weren’t the Iraqis playing with some forms of Pneumonia as a potential biological agent back when? So far, officials have identified no infectious agent common to all the cases. There is no evidence any of the cases were caused by exposure to chemical or biological weapons, environmental toxins or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), officials said. A two-person team already has gone to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where most of the cases were treated after evacuation. The two teams also will review patient records and laboratory results and interview health care workers and patients, if possible, said a statement from the Army Surgeon General and U.S. Army Medical Command. The teams will be looking for similarities among the cases, which so far have hit troops in geographically dispersed areas and from different units, said the Thursday statement. They also were spread over time, with two in March, three in April, two in May, three in June and four in July. Though only 14 cases were considered serious, there have been 100 cases altogether since March 1 among troops that began deploying late last years to the Persian Gulf. 100 Cases boys and girls and we are not talking the sniffles here. Army-wide, pneumonia cases serious enough to warrant hospitalization happen in about 9 of 10,000 soldiers per year. Given the number of troops deployed, the 100 cases "do not exceed expectations," the surgeon general’s office said. Oh yes we expect to have guys die of organ failure associated with Pneumonia. Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press |
| Posted by:SOG475 |
| #5 The deserts of Arizona has something called "Valley Fever"anybody who has spent time in the the Sonran Desert probably has it.Valley Fever is caused from a fungus prevalent in the soil. Symptoms range from mild flu/cold to Pneumonia. Northern Arizona has a Hunta(spell check,Steve)virus,caused by air-borne dust from rodent droppings.We also have Bubonic Plaque in the North. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-8-3 7:25:16 AM |
| #4 Yep, I'm a lung doc. Possible causes: strain of common bacteria (e.g., strep) for which we westerners don't have great immunity; new bacteria/parasite; or toxic reaction to something in the soil/air. Dust is less likely a cause. A vector would explain a lot. I hadn't heard of this til now, but I'll do some checking around. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-8-2 11:13:32 PM |
| #3 Would this likely be true of any "biting" insect: flea, "sand" flea, chigger, mosquito (of course), biting flies, etc.? Could any of these by type be a disease carrier / vector? They have them all in the desert - especially if in contact with camels and such vermin. BTW, Thx for response - I just went thru my first thorough introduction to the Chiang Mai bug collection (10 days of hell) which is different from the Bangkok collection - those don't "bug" me anymore. Now I'm a native (heh). |
| Posted by: © 2003-8-2 10:13:46 PM |
| #2 Just a thought from an EMT. There are a lot of local, ratty-ass diseases that we never hear about because the locals are all immune by now. There have been a couple of mini epidemics in Afghanistan. WMD implies more cases, and located in the same area. Gotta wonder about pnumonic plague, there have to be fleas in Iraq. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-8-2 9:37:20 PM |
| #1 Wild speculation: a reaction to breathing talcum powder-fine dust - clogging the alveoli and triggering a response of mucus generation? I certainly went through a period in Saudi where I coughed a LOT for the first 2-3 months - and it was that fucking ariborne grit, I'm sure. Steve White? Aren't you a medico? Can you lend some expertise? |
| Posted by: The Artiste PD™© 2003-8-2 8:50:22 PM |