thedrifter
08-23-03, 08:50 AM
USA Today, August 19, 2003
Pg. 10
Our View
Tap Broader Expertise To Tackle New Gulf Illness
Army Spc. Joshua Neusche, a strapping former high school track star, died
July 12. The 20-year-old was one of two soldiers to succumb to a mysterious
outbreak of pneumonia that has affected more than 100 U.S. troops in Iraq
and the region since March 1. Though the Pentagon has dispatched two
emergency medical teams to investigate, Neusche's parents in Missouri worry
that the investigation may not find the truth.
The Neusches' fears echo frustrations voiced in 1991, when veterans of that
Gulf War began to fall ill with what came to be known as Gulf War Syndrome.
For years, the Pentagon dismissed the mysterious symptoms, from fatigue to
neurological problems, that eventually plagued about one-third of all
veterans of the first Gulf War.
Twelve years later, much separates the pneumonia outbreak from Gulf War
Syndrome, which emerged more gradually and with less-identifiable symptoms.
To date, the pneumonia outbreak is far more limited. And with two medical
teams currently conducting an investigation, the Pentagon is taking it
seriously.
But the military is repeating one mistake from its Gulf War experience. It
is limiting the involvement of the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. The CDC could provide the best comprehensive probe into the
pneumonia cases and head off suspicions that the Pentagon is putting troops'
health at risk or hiding information.
The Pentagon missed that opportunity once; it shouldn't again. When early
symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome surfaced, the Pentagon failed to ask for a
full CDC investigation. Yet, CDC teams are trained to move quickly to
identify illnesses, their causes and how to treat them. Their expertise and
their independence from the Pentagon make them best qualified to:
Ensure proper data collection. Congress in 1997 mandated thorough health
screenings for troops being deployed in any conflict as well as detailed
monitoring of battlefield conditions. The aim is to avoid a lack of
comprehensive data from the second Gulf War. The Pentagon insists that it
has fully complied, but Gulf War veterans' groups disagree.
Accurately assess the outbreak. The Pentagon says the more than 100 cases of
pneumonia do not "exceed expectations," since 400 to 500 U.S. military
personnel are hospitalized with pneumonia every year. Still, it's concerned
that two soldiers have died and 18 have been sick enough to require a
ventilator. The CDC can best evaluate whether, as the Pentagon maintains so
far, no evidence suggests the cases are linked and there is no indication
they are caused by chemical or biological weapons, SARS or environmental
toxins.
A CDC spokesman said teams were ready to deploy to Iraq if asked. But a
Pentagon spokesperson said that the CDC's current role is sufficient. It is
using CDC experts as consultants, including one who last week joined a team
analyzing data from hospitalized patients in Iraq and Germany.
In the 1990s, the Pentagon's refusal to give the CDC a key role in
investigating Gulf War Syndrome needlessly added to the suspicions and
questions about how the military handled the illness.
The Neusches wrote Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week and asked for
an independent assessment of how their son died. Honoring the request would
help put their worries - and the public's - to rest.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Support Our Soldiers"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
United We Stand
God Bless America
*****
Were it not for the brave,
there would be no Land of the Free!
Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-08-18-our-view_x.htm
also see DOD web site
http://www.deploymenthealth.mil/clinicians/default.asp
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Pg. 10
Our View
Tap Broader Expertise To Tackle New Gulf Illness
Army Spc. Joshua Neusche, a strapping former high school track star, died
July 12. The 20-year-old was one of two soldiers to succumb to a mysterious
outbreak of pneumonia that has affected more than 100 U.S. troops in Iraq
and the region since March 1. Though the Pentagon has dispatched two
emergency medical teams to investigate, Neusche's parents in Missouri worry
that the investigation may not find the truth.
The Neusches' fears echo frustrations voiced in 1991, when veterans of that
Gulf War began to fall ill with what came to be known as Gulf War Syndrome.
For years, the Pentagon dismissed the mysterious symptoms, from fatigue to
neurological problems, that eventually plagued about one-third of all
veterans of the first Gulf War.
Twelve years later, much separates the pneumonia outbreak from Gulf War
Syndrome, which emerged more gradually and with less-identifiable symptoms.
To date, the pneumonia outbreak is far more limited. And with two medical
teams currently conducting an investigation, the Pentagon is taking it
seriously.
But the military is repeating one mistake from its Gulf War experience. It
is limiting the involvement of the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. The CDC could provide the best comprehensive probe into the
pneumonia cases and head off suspicions that the Pentagon is putting troops'
health at risk or hiding information.
The Pentagon missed that opportunity once; it shouldn't again. When early
symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome surfaced, the Pentagon failed to ask for a
full CDC investigation. Yet, CDC teams are trained to move quickly to
identify illnesses, their causes and how to treat them. Their expertise and
their independence from the Pentagon make them best qualified to:
Ensure proper data collection. Congress in 1997 mandated thorough health
screenings for troops being deployed in any conflict as well as detailed
monitoring of battlefield conditions. The aim is to avoid a lack of
comprehensive data from the second Gulf War. The Pentagon insists that it
has fully complied, but Gulf War veterans' groups disagree.
Accurately assess the outbreak. The Pentagon says the more than 100 cases of
pneumonia do not "exceed expectations," since 400 to 500 U.S. military
personnel are hospitalized with pneumonia every year. Still, it's concerned
that two soldiers have died and 18 have been sick enough to require a
ventilator. The CDC can best evaluate whether, as the Pentagon maintains so
far, no evidence suggests the cases are linked and there is no indication
they are caused by chemical or biological weapons, SARS or environmental
toxins.
A CDC spokesman said teams were ready to deploy to Iraq if asked. But a
Pentagon spokesperson said that the CDC's current role is sufficient. It is
using CDC experts as consultants, including one who last week joined a team
analyzing data from hospitalized patients in Iraq and Germany.
In the 1990s, the Pentagon's refusal to give the CDC a key role in
investigating Gulf War Syndrome needlessly added to the suspicions and
questions about how the military handled the illness.
The Neusches wrote Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week and asked for
an independent assessment of how their son died. Honoring the request would
help put their worries - and the public's - to rest.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Support Our Soldiers"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
United We Stand
God Bless America
*****
Were it not for the brave,
there would be no Land of the Free!
Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-08-18-our-view_x.htm
also see DOD web site
http://www.deploymenthealth.mil/clinicians/default.asp
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: