OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE

File: 970107_sep96_decls16_0003.txt
Page: 0003
Total Pages: 5

Subject: OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE                                   

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box  ID: BX003205

Folder Title: OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE                                                                   

Document Number:          1

Folder Seq  #:         41



  2-..'6. @lies ark not yet a problem. Although we have seen a few, the cold
     weather is apparently suppressing their proliferation. On the few 44arm      (65
     degrees), suany days there were a few more flies and other bugs evidentl
     including some pretty butterflies, but the worst is yet to come.

         Rout4.ne disease surveillance has taken a back seat since early in January
     cue to the movement of virtually every unit which was a source of data. We
     have not forgotten, and MAJ Moore is laying the groundwork for resuming data
     collection.    Most of our hospitals have stopped'taking patients, and the
     scattered clearing companies need to be re-enrolled.       Despite the lack of
     hard data, I am confident that the incidence of food and waterbarne diseases
     is very low.    Movement forward has meant almost complete dependence on MREs
     and T rations, as well as MORES. The quartermaster folks seem to be quite
     finicky about getting PM to check out th6 quality of water at new water poi,
     before they will start issuing water - good +or them.       Anecdotal informati
     suggests that diarrhea incidence is quite low. Although respiratory di----
     seems a little more common, there is not any epidemic disease. Some people
     seem to be having lingering sinus and cough problems which may be related to
     the all pervasive dust in the environment. I don't know about cold injuries,
     although I suspect they are minimal. I hear about burns due to immersion
     heaters and the stoves in the field kitchens, but these are scattered.

     B. My job has changed. The senior MC in the Bde HO, COL Moore, the DCCS
     (authorized on a TOE for Ist COSCOM as the COSCOM Surgeon), moved to VII Cc,.
     (332 Med Bde) to head a task force of all that corps' Evacuation Hospitals.
     succeeded him, with a new title as Command Surgeon, whatever that is supposed
     to mean in a Medical Bricade. The job description is not defined, since the
ng a physician assigned to the HO. My purview has
     obviously expanded beyond PM to the business of hospitals and clearing
     com.oanies and personnel issues associated with them. I'll let you know in
        .ure letters what becomes of that responsibility.

     ,Y. I've spent some time trying to work issues related to anthrax and malar
     The compartmentalization of the anthrax vaccine program by CENTCOM resulted
     my not knowing about the distribution plan until two days before the Bde
     started giving it. Virtually everybody who act the first shot developed a
                                                     7
     small area a+ induration in the area of the inoculation, with some initial
     tenderness. Many of those "knots" lasted until the next shot was given.
     Systemic symptoms were virtually non-existent.       The second shots usually
     elicited a more vigorous local reaction in terms of tenderness around the
     site, but the induration did not seem to develop. On the other hand, a few
     recipients developed fairly dramatic local reactions, with extensive redl.--
     and induration involving most of the triceps area of the arm. It reminded
     vaguely of what I thought an Arthus reaction might look like. Another pere
     I saw developed what looked like extensive subcutaneous fluid Accumulation
     that her arm sagged above the elbow, much like the sagging flesh one might
     in overweight, elderly persons. Again, no systemic symptoms. One problem
     with the program was that, despite the hush-hush nature of the vaccine's
     employment (despite widespread reporting in U.S. newspapers), there developed
     some groundswell of unease and anxiety among units who were not an the
     distribution list, including some medical units (hospitals).        Naturally, t'
     brought their questions to me, who had not been let in on the distribution
     plan, so I had to do some scrambling just to find out what the principles of
 and on, picking the brain of MAJ Cri
     Smith, ID doc with the 41 CSH, about anthrax and other issues. He has L--..
        ,at help, and especially so now that his hospital has staged across the
        eet (I use that term loosely) from us. He has put together, at my reni,
     a talk on SW issues, which he has begun presenting to the professional stai
     of the hospitals. We -Feel that the docs and nurses are relatively unini-.
     about the clinical presentation of anthrax as well as the specifics of the
     preventive and therapeutic responses to that and other SW threats.        He and
     have also explored the capabilities of the 424 and 996 Med Labs, reserve uni

Document 5 f:/Week-36/BX003205/OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE/operation desert storm update:01029715471617
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003205
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE
Folder Seq # = 41
Subject = OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE
Document Seq # = 1
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 = 02-JAN-1997