HEALTH HAZARDS TO TROOPS AT UNIT LEVEL 13 NOV 90

File: 121096_oct96_decls6_0001.txt
Page: 0001
Total Pages: 2

Subject: HEALTH HAZARDS TO TROOPS AT UNIT LEVEL  13 NOV 90               

Unit: 1 MARDIV    

Parent Organization: 1 MEF       

Box  ID: BX600051

Folder Title: COMMAND JOURNAL 2402-2674 NOV 90  2 OF 3                                                        

Document Number:        127

Folder Seq  #:         16




                                          NITED STATES MARINE CAPS
                                     Sp          OFFICE OF T14E DIV:SIO'J SURGEON
                                                 I ST MARINE DIVISIO.II (RE].-il. FMF
                                             CAFAP PE.4DLETON. CAUFORNIA 920@5500             M RZPLV nErgR To.

                                                                                              6000
                                               UNCLASSIFIED                                   18
                                                                                              13 Nov 90


              From:   Division Surgeon, Ist Varine Division
              To:     Com-panding General, Ist Yarine Division
              Via:    ACS, G-4
              SubJ:   AREAS OF CO%IC3i4 RZa@.RDI%.-G TFZ @isALTli IIAZA'IDS TO -,ROO'PS AT  T;NIT LEVEL

              Pef:    (a) CO note on Weekly SL,,rmary and Status       Report dtd   05. Nov flO.

              1.  As  mentioned in the Summary, our people are         carrying so-ne contagious and
              debilitating bacteria as a result of the dia r@hea outbreak six weeks ago.                For
              the mo;'. pirt this is over, however, there have been sporadic flare ups.
              These flareups of tires'are ,iot traceable to the food preparation areas.
              Howe@r. stool cultures taken show that these are. '.he same group of bacteria
              that caused our origiial probers.          if-l@hese show up in stool cultures III is
              reasonable   lo assume they abound in     our 4 holers,.

                        a.  it ii strongly recommended tiatt

                        (1) BaLidw-ashing should not only   -be  encouraged, it     shofild S'e"required.,
                        In ioine units (who have had less trouble than others)           two spigotted
                        containers are placed at the latrines and at the messing areas. One
ontainer contains sea,? water, the other has rinse water.
                        (2) Parallel to 'his, it should be required that troops            wash bands
                        before they have chow.

                        (3) Do not assign sick     Marines to mess    duty, an    outbreak seems to have
                        been caused by an actively infected Marine handling chow. Sbigella is
                        on a par with tuberculosis or flu as far as contagiousness is
                        concerned.

                        (4) Do no'. assign substandard performers lo ness duty.            They are
                        already undermanned. While it is difficult to lose '.be services of a
                        good Marine %Wnile he is on mess duty, it is even more difficult to
                        lose 'be services of fifteen or twenty good Mc-rines because they are
                        sick.


                        (5) Do everything you can to control flies while wailing for the
                        system to get to us, the fly bait that we need. One unit put I!rre on
                        '.hei- latrine and noted shortly afterwards '.hat the flies were making
                        little wbi4@e tracks across their chow. Flies carry disease from
                        latrine to the messing a-ea. Shigella is contagious and easily
                        spread.







                                                       UNCLASSIFIED

Document 2 f:/Week-42/BX600051/COMMAND JOURNAL 2402-2674 NOV 90 2 OF 3/health hazards to troops at unit level 13 nov 9:12069615401531
Control Fields 17
File Room = oct96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-42
Box ID = BX600051
Unit = 1 MARDIV
Parent Organization = 1 MEF
Folder Title = COMMAND JOURNAL 2402-2674 NOV 90 2 OF 3
Folder Seq # = 16
Subject = HEALTH HAZARDS TO TROOPS AT UNIT LEVEL 13 NOV 9
Document Seq # = 127
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 06-DEC-1996