Iraqi Fly-Borne Skin Disease Afflicts GIs ("Baghdad Boil")

[Khephra]

By Associated Press

December 7, 2003, 4:03 PM EST


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The Army's 101st Airborne Division has sent 20 soldiers to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for treatment for a skin disease transmitted by bites from sand flies in Iraq, the military said.

Another 10 to 20 soldiers from the 101st Airborne, based in Mosul in northern Iraq, are under observation for the illness, called leishmaniasis, said Maj. Trey Cate, a division spokesman.

"We are concerned about the health and welfare of the soldiers, hence we have evacuated them to a major medical center where this disease that does not exist in the U.S. can be treated by the experts and studied in ways that are impossible in the field," Cate said Sunday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The disease is known as "Baghdad Boil" to U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and can leave disfiguring lesions on the skin for months.

more............

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-skin-disease,0,1651568.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

[wryter2000]

1. OMG

It's going to be the plagues of Egypt soon. :cry:

[HereSince1628]

2. This is a really well known disease

Some of the most gruesome pictures in parasitology courses are associated with Leishmaniasis.

But, really the worst cases of Dum-dum are among the senior members of the Whitehouse...

[proud patriot]

3. This is our group

:-( I believe some of our adopted troops are in the 101st

[opihimoimoi]

4. Fuck... Not only they must contend with a Iraqi Routlette but also friggen

Flies and BOILs?

This whole war shit is moot and our guys taking hits for nothing.

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. "this disease that does not exist in the U.S" - it does NOW - idiots !!

. . just think

is it possible the BFEE just imported a biological weapon ?

would not all the abundant exposure to DU radiation complicate the disease ?

and lord knows what else those poor guys have contracted over there?

they should have sent all the war-mongers over to IraqNam to take care of this problem

oh I furgot

- Junior and Rummy been using up all the Nations' "frequent-flyer" miles

[renegade000]

7. this was my initial reaction...

but i'm assuming that it is non-communicable (means of transmission being the insects, which we hopefully haven't brought over heh).

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. Ur right - I furgot how "competent" da BFEE is -

.

[renegade000]

9. heh what * will probably do is declare the flies

as part of a biological weapons program.

wouldn't put it past them.
Evil Desert Flies....would make a great FOX headline. ;)

[SpiralHawk]

6. Eeeek ! Sounds like a Biblical plague

Boils and warts 'n stuff.

The only known cure: A pretzel poultice prepared at the hour of the Full Moon.

(Secret, ancient > but also New and Improved < Indian remedy. Don't tell anyone else. This is just our little secret).

It's also good for general bloviation, gin blossoms, rickets, berri-beri and flatulance).

[AngryAmish]

10. EWWWW, Gross!

[Lisa]

11. may the boils be on Bush and not on the troops!

Remember this pic?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0,8542,409877,00.html

[Lisa]

12. info on leishmaniasis

sounds rather unpleasant. They discuss cases from the Gulf War ...

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/leishmania/default.htm