Kabul health/lungs concern

[geo]

MM...
you should become a travel agent.... vivid descriptions Mmmmm....

 

[medicineman]

;D  I'll name the agency "Sewers of the World".

MM

 

[Armymedic]

I arrived in Kabul fighting off the reminents of a cold...which the increased altiude added another week to my recovery. After that, I was perfectly healthy (less a few quick BMs). So if there was a problem with something common to all like the air we breath, why do not the great majority the troops rotation after rotation get sick for the whole tour? Surely we would because we don't breath poopy filled air here in Canada, no?

 

[geo]

possibly because it isn't an issue.............

 

[Dirt Digger]

I arrived in Kabul fighting off the reminents of a cold...which the increased altiude added another week to my recovery. After that, I was perfectly healthy (less a few quick BMs). So if there was a problem with something common to all like the air we breath, why do not the great majority the troops rotation after rotation get sick for the whole tour? Surely we would because we don't breath poopy filled air here in Canada, no?

Actually, the air we breath is full of assorted crap...pollen, mould spores, diesel exhaust, insect parts, dead skin cells...  However, the body has a pretty well adapted system for removing it all.

As I mentioned in another topic, if you can actually *see* the particles, they're so large that they won't get down to your lungs.

 

[medicineman]

Hmmm - I'm sure there are some coal miners dead or dying from silicosis which might argue that one with you.  >

mm

 

[geo]

MM.... Silicosis for coal miners
damage done to their lungs over an extended length of time with NO time off for good behavior.

Bit of a difference

 

[armybuck041]

Considering armies have campaigned throughout Afghanistan for centuries, I'm sure it is not some biological deathbed awaiting to kill any foreigner....

It was estimated that a full 67% (416,000) of the 620,000 soldiers who served with the Soviet 40th Army in Afghanstan suffered "serious illness requiring hospitalization" not related to combat operations.... Hospitalization for combat related injuries numbered only 54,000.

Don't get me wrong, I realize our hygiene standards and preventative medicine substancially better than the Soviet Cold War military, but these numbers are pretty staggering none the less. The British Empire also suffured similarily during its two big attempts in the region.

 

[medicineman]

Yes - from breathing in particulate matter that is pretty much visible was what I was getting at though.  Most would get filtered out by your ciliae in the nose and lungs (if you haven't burned that away by smoking that is   ), but not all is.

MM

 

[geo]

buck041,
There is no doubt that the Soviets experienced some incredible health problems while in the Afghan theatre However; I would venture to say that the Soviets did not spend all that much effort bringing in the necessities of life. Food would have been bought locally and I hate to even contemplate what kind of system they used for their water supply... add to that poor hygene practices of conscripts and a medical system that does not deliver what is required for it's troops and you will get the casualty rates you are alluding to.

 

[Good2Golf]

I don't know what I did wrong (right?) but the only thing I had was a bit of short breath for a week until I got used to the altitude...doing the Terry Fox run up around the Queen's Palace litterally "sucked" with ony 3 days on theatre!  MM's right about crap from the buses/taxis...I have to get on the truck's AC recirc button whenever I pull up behind one of the Mille buses or all the Bavarian "Reisenburo" buses in town *hack, hack*  ;D

Cheers,
Duey

 

[MadNad]

Hey Medicineman,
Good to see that after that TAT you are still alive (AHAHAHAHAHA), if people got dust in the lung, its defenetly us.

Good to see that we agree on "That Kabul Bug". Due to limited ressources we had on the TAT, hygene had a lot to do with it. Washing, Washing and washing hands, that was the secret. I'm sure that with all that alcool stuff i put on my hands, it removed the TAN (AHAHAHA).

As for the dust, we had those truck, bulldozer driving around 24/7 and moving shit, sand and rocks. So if dust would have been a problem. You and me would be quite sick by now, if not dead. (I had a Heart Attack a Month Ago, but that about it, AHAHAHA). The TAT pers lived in constant and intense dust because of the construction of the camp.

As for the other camps, there are multiples reason why we build away from them and that the canadian annex at KMNB was seperate, Hygiene standard was defenetivly one of them. Standard were not at canadian levels, so that is maybe why other contingent where so sick and not us. You had to see those place to believe it. Exept for the British Camp, i would not have want to live on any of those camp for a long period of time.

Also, If i remember good, we could see one guy walking around the camp with some strange equipment on is back a fiew time per days taking air samples. Also some of the devices were build up in the Wire fence. So i think the medic or WOOFETECH staff did all the test they could do and made sure we were as safe as possible.

As for the German report, I saw there camp, and there was a lot more there then dust to make them sick. There own shit, POL depot and garbage would have been one. And we wont talk about there mess hall (Kitchen).

Have fun

 

[medicineman]

    Yuppers, I'm still alive, don't really have any lung problems, gut problems or any other problems other than the perpetual attitude problem  >.

MM

 

[Dog]

    I was on the TAT for Kabul, and yes the "Crud" as we decided to name it was quite a handful. 

That's disgusting. Hopefully you washed your hands!  ;D

 

[medicineman]

In fact it was quite disgusting.  When people weren`t doing their Linda Blair imitations, they had the blue rockets full to the tops and then some.  Spent alot of time giving out gravol and running IV`s and checking on poor souls suffering under hot, stifling canvas while they were shrivelling up from dehydration.  I felt quite lucky I didn`t get as sick as alot of the others did.

MM

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

As for the German report, I saw there camp, and there was a lot more there then dust to make them sick. There own crap, POL depot and garbage would have been one. And we wont talk about there mess hall (Kitchen).

You can say that again...I was there - with the Germans - for an entire tour...bloody disgusting.  Good diet program, though...

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Nice to see they have'nt changed, I spent a week in 1984 in a German field hospital in Norway and besides being dirty, no actually filthy, which being a hospital suprised me, the food was terrible.
Mars bar and a coke for one breakfast......."Hey Hans, can I get some insulin with that?"

Won't even go into the most anti-drug Lt. in 2RCHA history a couple of beds down trying to explain that he wasn't the one getting morphine......

 

[Cpl4Life]

I agree with Franko.  You all should be washing your hands regardless, but especially overseas.  When I was there I experienced nothing more than a minor stomache ache that was most likely due to the change in diet.  I believe my mothers annoying drilling of "WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER USING THE BATHROOM!"  (always said at the worst of times, such as when the girlfriend is downstairs waiting for you) did me some good after all these years.  I was one of the lucky ones.  Nothing like being out on patrol and having to take a projectile-dump in the middle of nowhere.  Thank god for immodium is all I can say.

Medicineman you made my mother think Kabul was a tourist town or something with that description.  Maybe I should buy her a one way ticket.  LOL

 

[medicineman]

I just read a story that they just opened a 5 star Hotel in Kabul - I believe somewhere in the "prettier" green area near the embassies - she could stay there.  I've seen pre-war pictures of the city for the 60's and early 70's - it was a beautiful city - "was" being the operative word.

And, in case you haven't heard it already - Wash your hands!!

MM

 

[geo]

5 Star hotel?.... must be near the Kabul golf course
(yes, it's still there - a little worse for wear but still there)