This page presents some of the latest news relating to deployment health. For further information on each topic,
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Headlines
Anthrax Slip-Ups Raise Fears About Planned Biolabs
(Source: usatoday.com)
It was December 2001. Ivins, an authority on anthrax, was one of the handful of researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Md., who prepared spores of the deadly bacteria to test anthrax vaccines in animals. He knew enough to grow alarmed when his officemate complained, as she had frequently of late, about sloppy handling of samples coming into the lab that could be tainted with anthrax.
Durham VA to study troops' mental ills
(Source: herald-sun.com)
The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a new mental health center in Durham to focus on post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric problems affecting soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, federal officials announced Tuesday.
Chemical Agents- - Facts About Evacuation
(Source: cdc.gov)
Some kinds of chemical accidents or attacks may make staying put dangerous. In such cases, it may be safer for you to evacuate, or leave the immediate area. You may need to go to an emergency shelter after you leave the immediate area.
Gene Clue to Malaria Drug Failure
(Source: news.bbc.co.uk)
A gene in malaria parasites could explain why drugs to treat the disease fail, researchers have said. Previous research found mutations in a gene called pfcrt helped malaria parasites escape the action of the antimalaria drug chloroquine. Now Molecular Cell reports scientists have found faults in the same gene that make other antimalaria drugs fail.
Redefining Readiness- - Terrorism Planning through the Eyes of the Public
(Source: cacsh.org)
The Redefining Readiness Study is the first opportunity the American people have to describe how they would react to protective instructions in two terrorist attacks: a smallpox outbreak and the explosion of a dirty bomb. This information is critically important because plans currently being developed to deal with these situations are based on expert assumptions about what people would be concerned about and how they would behave. If planners’ assumptions about the public are wrong - as they have been in the past - the plans being developed will not work as expected, and a large number of people who should be protected would be unnecessarily harmed.
Yellow Fever Vaccine Risk with Thymus Disorders
(Source: promedmail.org)
Yellow fever vaccine has been successfully used to prevent the disease since 1937. However, reports[1] of yellow fever vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease (YEL-AVD), after administration of 17D-204 and 17DD vaccines, suggest a need to revisit the vaccine's safety profile, specifically with attention to host-dependent risk factors.
1918 Killer Flu Virus to be Tested in UW Lab
(Source: nwsource.com)
University of Washington scientists plan to infect monkeys with a killer flu virus grown from tissue exhumed from victims of the 1918 epidemic. They hope the insight they gain will unravel the mystery of why tens of millions of people worldwide died from the virulent flu strain and lead to development of better vaccines and drugs that may save lives in the future. 'This was the most deadly infectious disease in the history of mankind, killing at least 40 million people,' said Dr. Michael Katze, a UW microbiologist and principal investigator for the local arm of the project.
Part of Brain That Extinguishes Fears Found
(Source: healthday.com)
The areas of the brain involved in learning fears have been known, but new research now identifies the areas involved in extinguishing those fears. These findings can be used to help develop treatments for phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder.
9/11 PTSD Therapy
(Source: sciencentral.com)
We know them as heroes, but many of the first-responders who survived 9/11 felt far from heroic. Instead they were shattered by post-traumatic stress. As this ScienCentral News video reports, some have been helped by a different sort of rapid response team.
Clearing Algae 'Can Curb Malaria'
(Source: bbc.co.uk)
Clearing algae from pools and rivers could significantly reduce the spread of malaria, according to research carried out in Mexico. Scientists writing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society say the algae are an important food source for larvae. Removing them can substantially reduce adult mosquito numbers, they say.
No health Effects Found on 9/11 Rescue Dogs
(Source: cnn.com)
Doctor-- Good news for handlers exposed to same risks
Survey Says- - Many U.S. Citizens Would Not Cooperate With Officials During Terrorist Attack
(Source: nti.org)
A survey of 2,545 randomly selected U.S. adults found that a majority does not trust the government to take care of them during a smallpox attack, while a substantial minority would also take many matters into their own hands during a 'dirty bomb' incident. Two-fifths of respondents to a survey sponsored by the New York Academy of Medicine said they would follow instructions to go to a public vaccination site in a smallpox outbreak and three-fifths said would stay in a building other than their home after an explosion involving radioactive material.
For The Troops on The Ground, Iraq Might as Well Be Vietnam
(Source: armytimes.com)
Anyone who studies how certain kinds of war fighting affect the human psyche would have already figured out what the New England Journal of Medicine reported recently: that 'many of our troops in Iraq are struggling' with the dark psychiatric fallout from this conflict. After surveying thousands of soldiers and Marines, the Journal authors concluded that 'roughly one in six show signs of distress - ranging from anxiety, all the way to full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder.'
Case-Control Study of Cancer among US Army Veterans Exposed to Simian Virus 40-contaminated Adenovirus Vaccine
(Source: oupjournals.org)
Simian virus 40 (SV40) was an accidental contaminant of vaccines produced in monkey kidney tissue cultures in the 1950s and early 1960s, including a parenteral adenovirus vaccine given to several hundred thousand US military recruits. Detection of SV40 DNA in tumor tissues by some laboratories suggests that SV40 contributes to human cancers. To determine if entry into US Army service during periods of administration of SV40-contaminated adenovirus vaccine was associated with an increased risk of cancer, the authors conducted a case-control study of cancer occurring in male Army veterans who entered service in 1959-1961. The findings do not support a role for SV40 in the development of these cancers.
Gulf War and Health- - Updated Literature Review of Sarin
(Source: nap.edu)
Institute of Medicine
Updated Anthrax Q & A- -Treatment
(Source: cdc.gov)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Updated Anthrax Q & A- -Preventive Therapy
(Source: cdc.gov)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Traumatic Incident Stress- -Information For Emergency Response Workers
(Source: cdc.gov)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
More Shots For More Sailors
(Source: navytimes.com)
New rules add 17 locations for required anthrax and smallpox vaccinations.
Report Sees Wide Health Effects of 9-11 Attacks
(Source: msn.com)
Most of the health problems reported after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks have involved respiratory difficulties and mental distress, according to a U.S. government report published on Wednesday. Firefighters and other emergency workers showed long-term respiratory problems, including a syndrome called 'WTC cough.' A separate study published on Wednesday also showed subtle but significant effects on pregnant women and their babies.
Doctors- - 9/11 Illnesses May Not Appear for Decades
(Source: cnn.com)
A patchwork of post-September 11 health screening programs will not detect increases in more serious, long-term illnesses like cancer, experts told Congress Wednesday. Doctors and government investigators told a House subcommittee it could take decades to detect all the health woes stemming from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack and subsequent cleanup around New York's World Trade Center. The two most common conditions found so far are lung damage and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Center Hopes to Ease Deployment Stress
(Source: zwire.com)
Military mental health is a big issue these days. The Fraser Center's staff said they've been studying the unique needs of the military community for some time, since soldiers and their families make up much of their client base. 'We've really tried to pay attention, to learn from the last deployment and anticipate people's needs,' director Dr. Alan Baroody said. 'The first thing we noticed, prior to the last deployment were the symptoms in children. Then, we started seeing symptoms in adults,' Baroody said.
Study- -Diluted Smallpox Vaccine Still Effective
(Source: cnn.com)
Heavily diluted doses of existing smallpox vaccine remain effective, which means the U.S. stockpile of the vaccine can be stretched if needed, researchers said on Tuesday. In the study, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, volunteers aged 18 to 32 were given one of three strengths of smallpox vaccine. The weakest was diluted to one-tenth the original, and nearly all developed a telling pustule at the inoculation site within six to 11 days, indicating the dosage's effectiveness. The study confirmed previous research that showed diluted versions of the vaccine were effective.
Fort Carson Joins Drive for New Anthrax Treatment
(Source: wkrn.com)
Colorado soldiers vaccinated against anthrax are being asked to donate blood, in order to help scientists develop an experimental treatment for the disease. Researchers want to extract antibodies from the soldiers' plasma to make a new medication.
Wars Stress Extracts its Toll
(Source: gazettetimes.com)
After the American Civil War, they called it 'the staggers.' Doughboys of World War I were sometimes said to be 'shell shocked.' In the Second War to End Wars casualties suffered from 'battle fatigue.' We got more clinical with Vietnam, appending the diagnosis of 'post traumatic stress disorder,' or PTSD. Now, in another war, young men and women with PTSD are flooding counseling offices, veteran's clinics and hospitals. They are committing suicide at an appalling rate and the fallout suffering of family members can never be measured.
Machine Offers Smaller, Lighter, Faster Water Testing in Field
(Source: dcmilitary.com)
More than a dozen researchers gathered at the U.S. Army Center for Environmental Health Research Aug. 25 to see an award-winning water analyzer that cuts in third the time to tell if water is contaminated. The machine, called the Coliform Analyzer, meets its early goals of rapidly analyzing bacterial contaminants in water while being simple to operate and smaller and lighter than the normal water analysis set up.
Safety and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Intravenous Vaccinia Immune Globulin in Healthy Volunteers
(Source: uchicago.edu)
Abstract
Randomized Trial Comparing Vaccinia on the External Surfaces of 3 Conventional Bandages Applied to Smallpox Vaccination Sites in Primary Vaccinees
(Source: uchicago.edu)
Abstract
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