The military disease morgellons

[Baraka Obam]

Here is just one letter from one soldier, I will be pasteing more complaints and connections of the stealth visus, this fellow most likely has been told he has PTSD now is that ridiculas or what, are these your symptoms, you bet your arse they are. If these symptoms are excepted as PTSD then just imagine that, the stealth disease started, or should I say in America during the Vietnam war, Autism and so many other increaseing disease are a direct result of the spread of this invader.

Veterans Affairs Personal Dermatology Report

[tcmgpt13]

You know I have to wonder how many of these people have undiagnosed leishmaniasis or schistosomiasis. It is rampant in the areas of the world where our soldiers served beginning with Vietnam. In fact I wonder how many brought home undiagnosed parasitic infections from WWll as well since many were in Southeast Asia then too. They definitely brought home fungal infections so why not others too? Add in depleted uranium from weapons and toxins from burning oil to which some were also exposed...well it's no wonder that they are sick. Or that their families are.

The military is aware of some of the emerging diseases which are being found in troops:

Emerging Health Concerns

Throughout the course of deployments in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and other contingency operations, health issues come to the forefront of interest and concern. These health concerns may be related to environmental exposures, or infectious diseases endemic to current areas of operation, or to other preventive and clinical medicine issues. The categories of information will receive additions and modifications as new deployment-related health concerns and new information about those concerns emerge.

Each link on this page connects to yet more information about each illness:

• Update
• Acinetobacter
• Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia
• Anthrax
• Combat/Operational Stress
• Depleted Uranium
• Influenza
• Leishmaniasis
• Malaria
• Mefloquine/Lariam
• Metal Fragments
• SARS
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Tuberculosis
• West Nile Virus
• Related Links

Emerging Health Concerns

[MeaganM]

You know I have to wonder how many of these people have undiagnosed leishmaniasis or schistosomiasis. It is rampant in the areas of the world where our soldiers served beginning with Vietnam. In fact I wonder how many brought home undiagnosed parasitic infections from WWll as well since many were in Southeast Asia then too. They definitely brought home fungal infections so why not others too? Add in depleted uranium from weapons and toxins from burning oil to which some were also exposed...well it's no wonder that they are sick. Or that their families are.

Since my son and I got sick shortly after my husband returned from Korea, I've often wondered if he brought home one of these infections. I've read articles about it before discovering M. I even contacted the VA asking for help and they ignored me. Is there a lab that can test for these or would it show up in regular blood test?

[janedoe]

how insane is that, you go to serve your country, not only risk getting killed or mamed, but for your trouble you come back with a deadly disease? one that doesnt just affect you but your family as well? thats crap.. the military needs to take way better care of these men and women!!

[tcmgpt13]

I imagine that some of these tests could be run in specialized labs or even regular ones. Testing can be ordered by infectious disease doctors, but most of them will not test unless they suspect specific exposure from areas which have the listed parasites or diseases. They also look for symptoms which match suspected exposures. Here's a few areas of concern for those who were stationed in Korea:

Implications of emerging isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Korea.

Berliner DS, Haupt A.
Abstract

In 1981, the Korean National Institute of Health (KNIH) reported that 17% of all tuberculosis patients had primary resistance to isoniazid while an additional 17% acquired isoniazid resistance during chemotherapy. This 34% isoniazid resistance rate in the Republic of Korea, where an estimated 6-8% of the total population have active tuberculosis, poses significant concerns regarding management of U.S. military health care beneficiaries who develop tuberculosis or have tuberculosis skin test conversion while residing in or after departure from Korea. To address this issue, the prevalence of Korean acquired isoniazid resistance was estimated in U.S. beneficiaries by performing antibiotic sensitivities on all positive cultures from October 1981 through December 1982. Of 42 patient isolates, six were isoniazid resistant (14.3%). When the data was analyzed further, it was determined that as many as 9.5% of those U.S. beneficiaries infected had primary isoniazid resistance. This is higher than the most recent U.S. population-based drug resistance study, in which 6.9% of tuberculosis patients had primary drug resistance. This data comparison points toward the need for judicious management of Korean acquired infections and skin test conversions. Emphasis is on criteria necessary to warrant use of chemotherapeutic agents other than isoniazid to prevent further introduction of resistant organisms into locales where isoniazid resistance is not as prevalent as reported in Korea.

PMID:3101660
J Wildl Dis. 2010 Jan;46(1):165-72.

Detection of Rickettsia typhi and seasonal prevalence of fleas collected from small mammals in the Republic of Korea.

Kim HC, Yang YC, Chong ST, Ko SJ, Lee SE, Klein TA, Chae JS.
Source

5th Medical Detachment, 168 Multifunctional Medical Battalion, US Army MEDDAC-Korea, Unit #15247, APO AP 96205-5247.

Abstract

Fleas were collected from live-captured small mammals to identify potential flea-borne pathogens, seasonal prevalence of flea species, and host preference as part of the US military rodent-borne diseases surveillance program conducted at one US military installation and 10 military training sites, northern Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea. During 2003-04, 948 fleas (563 females and 385 males) were recovered from 2,742 small mammals (seven rodent and one insectivore species). Apodemus agrarius (striped field mouse) accounted for 88.9% (2,439/2,742) of the small mammals, followed by Crocidura lasiura (4.2%), Mus musculus (2.9%), Microtus fortis (2.2%), Myodes regulus (0.6%), Micromys minutus (0.5%), Tscherskia triton (0.5%), and Rattus norvegicus (0.3%). Small mammal infestation rates (number with fleas/number captured) ranged from 7.7% (M. minutus and T. triton) to 31.3% (M. regulus). Flea indices were highest for M. regulus (0.69/captured rodent), followed by C. lasiura (0.54), M. fortis (0.41), A. agrarius (0.34), and R. norvegicus (0.33). Overall, Ctenophthalmus congeneroides (51.3%) was more frequently collected, followed by Stenoponia sidimi (42.6%), Rhadinopsylla insolita (5.5%), Neopsylla bidentatiformis (0.4%), Rhadinopsylla concava (0.1%), and Doratopsylla coreana (0.1%). Ctenophthalmus congeneroides was more frequently collected from small mammals during the spring and summer, while S. sidimi was more frequently collected during the winter season. Rickettsia typhi, the causative agent of murine typhus, was detected in 3.2% of specimens (7/220 pools from 654 fleas; minimum field infection rate [number of positive pools/total number of fleas] was 1.1%).

Doing a bit more digging here's an interesting article with some health issues in Korea, again connected to military as its in an Army jounal:

Perspectives on scrub typhus, tick-borne pathogens, and Hantavirus in the Republic of Korea | U.S. Army Medical Department Journal | Find Articles at BNET

From what this article says in the first paragraph these diseases are an issue in Korea:

"In a previous article, (1) we reviewed the status of malaria and Japanese encephalitis in the Republic of Korea (ROK) with the intent of providing the reader useful information on understanding and dealing with these diseases in the ROK."

And look at this statement:

"Complications with diagnostic tests suggest scrub typhus rates in US military personnel may be underreported and suggests a need to evaluate current and possibly find better, more definitive diagnostic tests. (11)"

Have you all been tested for lyme? I think that would be in important first step. What you are saying about the lab where you were tested is interesting, but I hope this man will publish soon what his actual findings are. I can see the possible connections to tick disease in a protozoa which carries DNA from both malaria and toxoplasmosis. Quite interesting if true, but it would be great to have verifiable information to gain acceptance in the medical community which would help all of us. Hopefully that will happen soon (it cannot happen soon enough if it is true). Otherwise it all remains murky and questionable. There's definitely enough murky when it comes to M symptoms. Anyway, I hope that your treatment in that direction will help you regain some health. I have read some comments on other forums saying it did help and others that it did not help at all. That's the main issue with M symptoms, nothing seems to help everyone (unfortunately).

Anyway I hope this gives you some directions to start looking for what your husband could have been exposed to while in Korea. Other issues are heavy metal and other chemicals which are often found in the soil around military bases or exposure directly to chemicals etc from the job which was held, such as so many have perchlorate exposure if their job entailed filling the military tanks or planes with fuel. Another health issue which was mentioned were the STDs frequently found in soldiers stationed in Korea (not saying your spouse, just relating what I found in searching for health issues found in military stationed in Korea).

[Baraka Obam]

You can bet your bottom dollar that is where he got this disease.

The fact of the matter is that is where I got it 39 years ago.

What really bothered me was the fact that the population in the USA seemed unaffected, as time went on I leared my issues and saw and heard of them at an EVER INCREASING RATE, what were most of the people on this site doing 39 years ago, they were having babies, many were going on with life in a very normal way.

Then as I did, they slept with a soldier, or slept with a person thatslept with a soldier, that slept with a person and then another.

This situation I caught 39 years ago and knew it was not normal, my friends did not have it when I came back from Korea, no they did not, the childrens skin was nice at that time, look at their skin now, it is not in good condition.

I watched as things changed, people itching complaints, disease on the rise, what were those of you with this now doing.

You were sitting back thinking the world was perfect, and up untill you started getting lesions, hair falling out, itching like crazy, you actually thought all your issues were just as normal as the doctor told you they were.

The doctor WAS WRONG and you are wrong if you think this disease manifests all its ugly heads at once.

I have told you of my trip down the symptom highway, you think you have a special syndrome, LOL, make me laugh.

This is a disease, it is a stealth disease, symptoms come and go, so will your mind , eyesight, hair, exzema, rash, pimples, red spots, childrens health, and so on.

Hopefully your children's DNA will setup also to recongnize this malady in its newest form and their children will not be born with abnormalitys.

Mankind has adapted over the years to every disease NATURE has thrown at it, but now that science is on the fast tract to superstraining all disease we have alot to contend with.

Here is the increase with just one birth defect from this nasty, AUTISM, imagine just imagine this, when the child is in the womb, and the body is forming, this stealthy disease forms with every, EVERY, system and organ, it is already setup these children are born with Autism, bad eyes, keratosis, splotches all over them you name it.

I have talked with a woman that worked in the birth area of the hospitol, the conversation, how bad the babys health is now when born, birth defects, skin anomolies and all other kinds of heart, joint problems. This she said has increased for the last 25 years.

Here is the stats on Autism just one of the symptom disease's

Studies Show 1 in 100 Kids Have Autism - CBS News

This disease was spread as a result of our sending men overseas to the third world, what it is, WHAT IS IT, we do not know yet.

We could list a million disease in Korea, ones long since thought gone, still, what ever it is, I caught 39 years ago in Korea.

What did all the men do there, I DID SAY ALL, they headed for the village to be with the quite aluring ladies of the night.

This was most likely the way of transmission, bugs, water, food washed in this NASTY water of theirs I do not think was the issue, but it may have been.

I remember being in the field, and they had set up a shower, the water of course was from the river, you have no idea how nasty the water in that river is if it is downstream from a village, then again, it was also downstream from North Korea, think the communists could have plunked some biological agents in the water, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........................maybe.

Noting is written in stone, but this is my case, the first one to get it that I can see and has been paying attention for 39 years.

[janedoe]

i didnt know you were in korea baraka.. thank you for your service, that sucks it made you sick...they need to be more aware of the humans that are fighting for the country, not just concentrate on winning. its not a win if it kills all your guys..

[tcmgpt13]

BO, your assumptions that every soldier in Korea who became ill with M symptoms contracted it from "lassies or laddies of the night" is not only a very limited view of disease but one which may not be at all true as far as what M is. Even if it were totally true implying this type of encounter when it involves a specific member's husband is not something which ought to be stated as fact on a forum. This is especially true as there is no fact whatsoever involved. We do not know beyond any doubt what M is. You may think you are an expert on M and its causes. However expert is not something you are even close to being, anymore than the rest of us are. We do not know as replicable scientific fact what M is or what causes it. Unless you have some scientifically verifiable facts what you say is only theory. It will remain theory unless proven otherwise by fact.

MeaganM, I am sorry that something like this has been written to you on a public forum. I find what BO has said extremely distasteful, especially since there are many other disease processes which could be happening to you and your family which do not involve any of what BO has rather rudely and crudely stated here.

Originally Posted by Baraka Obam

You can bet your bottom dollar that is where he got this disease.

The fact of the matter is that is where I got it 39 years ago.

What really bothered me was the fact that the population in the USA seemed unaffected, as time went on I leared my issues and saw and heard of them at an EVER INCREASING RATE, what were most of the people on this site doing 39 years ago, they were having babies, many were going on with life in a very normal way.

Then as I did, they slept with a soldier, or slept with a person thatslept with a soldier, that slept with a person and then another.

This situation I caught 39 years ago and knew it was not normal, my friends did not have it when I came back from Korea, no they did not, the childrens skin was nice at that time, look at their skin now, it is not in good condition.

I watched as things changed, people itching complaints, disease on the rise, what were those of you with this now doing.

You were sitting back thinking the world was perfect, and up untill you started getting lesions, hair falling out, itching like crazy, you actually thought all your issues were just as normal as the doctor told you they were.

The doctor WAS WRONG and you are wrong if you think this disease manifests all its ugly heads at once.

I have told you of my trip down the symptom highway, you think you have a special syndrome, LOL, make me laugh.

This is a disease, it is a stealth disease, symptoms come and go, so will your mind , eyesight, hair, exzema, rash, pimples, red spots, childrens health, and so on.

Hopefully your children's DNA will setup also to recongnize this malady in its newest form and their children will not be born with abnormalitys.

Mankind has adapted over the years to every disease NATURE has thrown at it, but now that science is on the fast tract to superstraining all disease we have alot to contend with.

Here is the increase with just one birth defect from this nasty, AUTISM, imagine just imagine this, when the child is in the womb, and the body is forming, this stealthy disease forms with every, EVERY, system and organ, it is already setup these children are born with Autism, bad eyes, keratosis, splotches all over them you name it.

I have talked with a woman that worked in the birth area of the hospitol, the conversation, how bad the babys health is now when born, birth defects, skin anomolies and all other kinds of heart, joint problems. This she said has increased for the last 25 years.

Here is the stats on Autism just one of the symptom disease's

Studies Show 1 in 100 Kids Have Autism - CBS News

[tcmgpt13]

Since you have enlarged your post after I posted my answer (which only contained your copied post as it was originally posted) here is the rest of what was added to your original post. What is this additional discussion but yet another rant to try to bring everyone down to your nasty level by implying everyone stationed in Korea lies down with whores and probably bathes and drinks dirty river water? Just because you would like to think that everyone did exactly what you did does not make your statements here true or factual. It is yet another attempt to put everyone down to your squalid level of morality. Sounds to me as if even then you had very little common sense. People who assume the worst in others because of their own behavior will generally find what they are looking for even when it is not true.

Originally Posted by Baraka Obam

Y

This disease was spread as a result of our sending men overseas to the third world, what it is, WHAT IS IT, we do not know yet.

We could list a million disease in Korea, ones long since thought gone, still, what ever it is, I caught 39 years ago in Korea.

What did all the men do there, I DID SAY ALL, they headed for the village to be with the quite aluring ladies of the night.

This was most likely the way of transmission, bugs, water, food washed in this NASTY water of theirs I do not think was the issue, but it may have been.

I remember being in the field, and they had set up a shower, the water of course was from the river, you have no idea how nasty the water in that river is if it is downstream from a village, then again, it was also downstream from North Korea, think the communists could have plunked some biological agents in the water, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........................maybe.

Noting is written in stone, but this is my case, the first one to get it that I can see and has been paying attention for 39 years.

[MeaganM]

Thank you TCM for all the info on diseases from Korea. I have recently been investigating this and haven't been able to discover half of what you posted. My husband has also been to many other countries including Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Bosnia, Kuwait, etc.. over his 20 years of service. I was also in the military during the first Gulf War as well as worked in the medical field in county hospitals thereafter.

I don't know, I guess when a person and her family get sick, we will try to grasp at every avenue to figure it out especially with something as weird as this disease and it's symptoms. I'm sure others here did the same thing in the beginning... (was it when I went to Mexico? Did I eat something contaminated? etc...) I don't think I'm different than anyone else here but the human part of me wishes it was something that simple. There are days when I say... I don't have this symptom or I don't have that symptom... maybe it's not M, maybe it's something else that resembles it. Because I'm new at this, I guess I haven't quite grasped the idea of having full blown M. I'm sure it will hit me soon enough.

I don't take offense BO. I've known many husbands who did cheat on their wives and mine could possibly have been one of them. But, I think I know him well enough to say that if he did, he wouldn't have paid for it. He would have more than likely did it with another female personnel which of course doesn't rule out anything.