18 British Soldiers Suffer Mystery Illness in Afghanistan

Fox News ^ | Wednesday, May 15, 2002 | Staff

[Dixie Mom]

BAGRAM, Afghanistan

[Dixie Mom]

God bless the military fighting our war on terror. May these soldiers be healed, and this sickness identified and prevented from spreading further.

[Dixie Mom]

Congo-Crimean Fever

Just curious--is that in a press report, or do you have medical knowledge and recognize the symptoms? I'm not familiar with Congo-Crimean Fever.

[Dixie Mom]

Thanks for that link. There's lots more information in that article, so I'll post it here:

Thursday, 16 May, 2002, 13:03 GMT 14:03 UK

Two UK troops 'seriously ill'
The illness has closed an entire field hospital

Two of the 18 British troops struck down with a mystery sickness in Afghanistan are very seriously ill but improving, defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has told MPs.

Another person remains seriously ill and is due to be evacuated to the UK on Thursday along with five other patients, he added.

This brings the total returning home to eight.

Tests have not yet revealed the nature of the disease, Mr Hoon told MPs.

The defence secretary also announced the compulsory call up of medical reserves starting with five anaesthetists and two surgeons for deployment in Afghanistan in early July.

A consultant in infectious diseases was to be deployed as soon as possible, he told MPs.

'Stabilised'

"This is clearly a very serious situation," he said.

"We are, however, encouraged that there have been no new cases over the past 22 hours."

Shadow Defence Secretary Bernard Jenkin called for a full inquiry into the mystery illness.

He suggested that there might be a question mark over the standard of British army latrines in Afghanistan, a concern raised when he visited troops there last month.

About 350 soldiers at a medical hospital in Bagram are under quarantine while health officials investigate the cause of the illness.

While the fever remains unidentified, the Ministry of Defence believes it is unlikely to have been caused by a bio-terrorist attack.

All the sick are military medical personnel working at 34 Field Hospital in Bagram which has now been closed - except to treat the fever.

Two men were flown back to Europe on Wednesday, one to Britain and the other to Germany, because they were so seriously ill, although their conditions are now said to have "stabilised".

Another six less severely ill soldiers left Bagram on Thursday for destinations in the UK.

'Vomiting'

Defence Minister Dr Lewis Moonie said it had "all the characteristics of a gastro-intestinal diarrhoeal disease".

He said he was cautiously optimistic and told BBC News: "We've had no more cases overnight and should that continue. I think the hospital will be back into full operation very quickly.

"But we have allies out there with their own hospitals who have agreed to provide us with any cover we need, so operational effectiveness will not be marred by what has happened."

The 350 troops who staff the hospital have been confined to either their quarters or the hospital.

A German field hospital is now providing back-up for other medical treatment for the marines taking part in the ongoing Operation Snipe.

It was initially thought the disease was meningitis but tests have ruled that "unlikely".

Paul Adams, the BBC's defence correspondent in Bagram, says some theories have suggested it could be enteric fever - which is related to typhoid.

'Viral infection'

Professor Malcolm Hooper, a professor of medicinal chemistry, said he was "not convinced" it was gastro-enteritis.

He told BBC News it was more likely to be "something local and nasty" - a viral infection such as Crimean haemorrhagic fever.

The professor ruled out food poisoning and said a biological or chemical cause was unlikely, although a possibility.

Earlier Brigadier Roger Lane said soldiers first started reporting symptoms three days ago, including fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.

The area around 34 Field Hospital had been isolated and military police were deployed to prevent trespassers, he added.

Lieutenant Colonel Ben Curry, with the troops in Bagram, told the BBC: "Clearly, this is a serious situation and we are taking steps to prevent any further spread."

[kinghorse]

Looking at a mismatch on the battlefield when confronted by organized professional soldiers from the US, GB and Australia, one would assume Bin Laden and his cadre are very much amenable to the notion of making the soldiers so sick they cannot fight. I think the coincidences with the untimely death of so many macro and micro biologists may not be casual.

What will the USA response be to a bioterror attack on US military or civilian populations? I believe the USA will endeavor to roll back (read find and execute the leadership) several regimes openly hostile to the USA. I think the masters in Iran should consider this before approving such a tactic by their special forces (Al Qaeda).

[Tallguy]

What was the name of that disease that runs through rural New Mexico every year? The one that is prevalent near the Indian reservations and spread by flea-carrying rats? The symptoms seem to be the same...

[Dixie Mom]

I should add that there have apparently been no new cases since yesterday - the article in post#5 speculates that the recent outbreak in Pakistan may have been deliberate. I realize this is tin-foil hat time, but I wonder if these soldiers will go on to exhibit the next stages ie. bleeding similar to Ebola?

You can't put anything past the bad guys, for sure. That's why these stories seem suspicious at the onset. No new cases since yesterday is good news, and hopefully an optimistic sign about preparedness to contain any contagion.

[Dixie Mom]

What was the name of that disease that runs through rural New Mexico every year?

Are you thinking of hantavirus?

[aristeides]

I remember the reports right after 9/11 of Congo-Crimean fever among Afghan refugees fleeing the country, as well as the reports about air sightings of dead animals.

I find it puzzling that the only victims of this new outbreak are medical personnel. How would they have gotten it, if not from treating others who had the disease?

[aristeides]

How long after infection and after the first appearance of symptoms does the bleeding start in these hemorrhagic fevers?

[aristeides]

Thanks for the link. It doesn't sound as if person-to-person transmission is that easy. Close contact with the blood or tissue of an infected person seems required. I wonder how so many of these medical personnel came down with the disease close to simultaneously.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Mitchell]

What do you think of this?

I think this is very likely a naturally occurring illness. It's interesting however, how the U.K. Ministry of Defense reacted. Initially, the BBC reported that (see this ProMED link, which quotes the BBC article):

The MoD has "categorically" confirmed the illness was not the result of a bio-terrorist attack.

Now, however, the BBC says (here's a BBC link -- it's the same article referred to by ProMed but has apparently been updated):

While the fever remains unidentified, the Ministry of Defence believes it is unlikely to have been caused by a bio-terrorist attack.

This last statement seems reasonable to me; there's no evidence that it's a bio-terrorist attack, and it seems unlikely. But the first reaction of the U.K. government was to issue a "categorical" denial, before they even had the facts. This shows the mindset: reassure the public first by issuing absolute denials, even though there's no real evidence and, in fact, it's too early to have the evidence necessary for a categorical denial. We've seen the same approach in the U.S. with the anthrax mailings.