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A U.S. Army soldier from Covington County died Wednesday in Landstuhl, Germany, after succumbing to a virus he contracted after being bitten by a tick while serving in Afghanistan. Sgt. E-5 Robert David Gordon II, 22, of River Falls, was stationed close to Afghanistan?s capital of Kabul when the tick bit him, said his aunt, Faye Dean of Andalusia. ?As far as we know, he was bitten by a tick that carried a virus,? said Dean, who has been in contact with Gordon?s family in Germany. ?It put him into a coma for five days and they had him on a dialysis machine. He had a heart attack and passed away Wednesday morning (approximately 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night, Alabama time).? Dean said doctors determined Gordon contracted the rare Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, which has been recorded in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. According to the World Health Organization?s Web site, the mortality rate for the CCHF virus is 30 percent. Dean said Gordon may have been the first U.S. soldier to contract the virus in Afghanistan. ?We have heard that he was going out into the countryside with some goat herdsmen, and he picked it up there,? Dean said. ?The virus has a three-week incubation period, and then once it came out of incubation, it started to attack. David started hemorrhaging Sunday, and the doctors gave him two units of packed red-blood cells and platelets. ?Tuesday, they gave him another dose of platelets, and administered a feeding tube. By that point, we were told his survival rate had dropped from 50 percent to 5 percent. I was talking to his sister (Wednesday), and the doctors were going to take him for a CAT scan, but the heart attack hit before they could do that.? Gordon first enlisted in the U.S. Army more than four years ago in Montgomery. He was assigned to Fort Lewis in Pierce County, Wash., and a member of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which was sent to Afghanistan in July. Dean said Gordon had recently re-enlisted with the U.S. Army for six more years, and his late father had also served in the military. ?He had come home for a visit in August,? she said. ?The military was his life. The only thing David wanted to do was go into service. He was very honored to serve his country.? Gordon was a 2006 graduate of Red Level High School. He is survived by his mother, Carol Diane Gordon; a brother, Charlie Gordon; and a sister, Monica Fallin. He also has several other aunts and uncles in Covington County. Dean said funeral arrangements have not been finalized, and the immediate family is still in Germany. The body will undergo an autopsy in Atlanta prior to a funeral.
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A U.S. Army soldier from Covington County died Wednesday in Landstuhl, Germany, after succumbing to a virus he contracted after being bitten by a tick while serving in Afghanistan. Sgt. E-5 Robert David Gordon II, 22, of River Falls, was stationed close to Afghanistan?s capital of Kabul when the tick bit him, said his aunt, Faye Dean of Andalusia. ?As far as we know, he was bitten by a tick that carried a virus,? said Dean, who has been in contact with Gordon?s family in Germany. ?It put him into a coma for five days and they had him on a dialysis machine. He had a heart attack and passed away Wednesday morning (approximately 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night, Alabama time).? Dean said doctors determined Gordon contracted the rare Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, which has been recorded in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. According to the World Health Organization?s Web site, the mortality rate for the CCHF virus is 30 percent. Dean said Gordon may have been the first U.S. soldier to contract the virus in Afghanistan. ?We have heard that he was going out into the countryside with some goat herdsmen, and he picked it up there,? Dean said. ?The virus has a three-week incubation period, and then once it came out of incubation, it started to attack. David started hemorrhaging Sunday, and the doctors gave him two units of packed red-blood cells and platelets. ?Tuesday, they gave him another dose of platelets, and administered a feeding tube. By that point, we were told his survival rate had dropped from 50 percent to 5 percent. I was talking to his sister (Wednesday), and the doctors were going to take him for a CAT scan, but the heart attack hit before they could do that.? Gordon first enlisted in the U.S. Army more than four years ago in Montgomery. He was assigned to Fort Lewis in Pierce County, Wash., and a member of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which was sent to Afghanistan in July. Dean said Gordon had recently re-enlisted with the U.S. Army for six more years, and his late father had also served in the military. ?He had come home for a visit in August,? she said. ?The military was his life. The only thing David wanted to do was go into service. He was very honored to serve his country.? Gordon was a 2006 graduate of Red Level High School. He is survived by his mother, Carol Diane Gordon; a brother, Charlie Gordon; and a sister, Monica Fallin. He also has several other aunts and uncles in Covington County. Dean said funeral arrangements have not been finalized, and the immediate family is still in Germany. The body will undergo an autopsy in Atlanta prior to a funeral. -
Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Fort Lewis soldier from Alabama dies in Germany
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- Army officials say a Stryker Brigade soldier who fell ill in southern Afghanistan has died at a military hospital in Germany.
According to an Army statement, 22-year-old Sgt. Robert David Gordon II of River Falls, Ala., got sick last Friday and died Wednesday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. His illness was not disclosed but is described as not related to combat.
Gordon enlisted in the Army more than four years ago in Montgomery, Ala. He was assigned to the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which was sent to Afghanistan in July. -
Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Covington County soldier dies of illness contracted in Afghanistan
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By Jim Cook
Published: September 17, 2009
A Covington County soldier serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan died Wednesday as a result of an illness.
Sgt. Robert D. Gordon II, 22, of River Falls, died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. According to the Department of Defense, Gordon became ill on Sept. 11 in southern Afghanistan. Gordon served in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Army continues to investigate the incident.
Gordon?s aunt, Ruby Brown, said the family was informed that Gordon was bitten by a tick and became sick afterward. Brown said the Army had requested that Gordon?s body be donated for research, but the family only agreed to the donation of his vital organs.
Brown said the family still has many questions about Gordon?s death, and wants the Army to work to ensure more deaths like Gordon?s are prevented.Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Comments on the article that started this thread. Of all the dangers this young man had to face in Afghanistan, this probably wasn't even on the radar. So sad.
Posted by kbklc (anonymous) on September 17, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My thoughts and prayers are out to David and and his family! Please keep them in your prayers as well. I really hope the county will be able to honor him as he lay his life down for his country.
Posted by dusty18 (anonymous) on September 18, 2009 at 6:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I thank the parents for bringing up such a brave young man. And i thank him for his service. I am so sorry.
Posted by patwilliam (anonymous) on September 18, 2009 at 6:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is such a sad story. I commend this young man on his courageousness, and pray for his family in this time of mourning. God bless you all.
Posted by winkie (anonymous) on September 18, 2009 at 8:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
God Bless you David and may God cover your family with his love
Posted by dorothy (anonymous) on September 18, 2009 at 8:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
my prayers go out to david and his family.
Posted by lulubell (anonymous) on September 18, 2009 at 8:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My thoughts and prayers are also with the family and friends and may God give you the comfort and peace you need at this time and always.
Posted by mytwocents (anonymous) on September 18, 2009 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Its such a tragic situation. When people go overseas in the military, you expect their life to be in danger due to violence, but you never really think of other health risks they are exposed to. I am praying for this family, that God gives them the peace that surpasses understanding, and that He wraps them in His loving arms and comforts them at this time.Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
And apparently someone sent the first article to ProMed, resulting in this.
Archive Number 20090919.3286
Published Date 19-SEP-2009
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Crimean-Congo hem. fever, fatal: imported ex Afghanistan
CRIMEAN-CONGO HEMORHAGGIC FEVER, FATAL: IMPORTED ex AFGHANISTAN
************************************************** *************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Thu 17 Sep 2009
Source: Andalusia Star-News.com [edited]
<http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/news/2009/sep/17/virus-claims-local-soldier/>
Virus claims soldier: Infection came from Afghanistan tick bite
---------------------------------------------------------------
A United States Army soldier from Covington County, Alabama, died
Wednesday [16 Sep 2009] in Landstuhl, Germany, after succumbing to a
virus he contracted from a tick [bite] while serving in Afghanistan.
The 22-year-old sergeant from River Falls, Alabama, was stationed
close to Afghanistan's capital of Kabul when the tick bit him, said a
relative in Andalusia. "As far as we know, he was bitten by a tick
that carried a virus," said his relative, who has been in contact with
the soldier's family in Germany. "It put him into a coma for 5 days
and they had him on a dialysis machine. He had a heart attack and
passed away Wednesday morning [16 Sep 2009] at (approximately 8:30
p.m. Tuesday night, Alabama time)."
His relative said doctors determined the soldier contracted the rare
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, which has been recorded
in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. According to the World Health
Organization's (WHO) Factfile, the mortality rate for the CCHF virus
is 30 percent [see
<http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs208/en/index.html>
and comment below. - Mod.CP]
The soldier's relative said that he may have been the 1st U.S. soldier
to contract the virus in Afghanistan. "We have heard that he was going
out into the countryside with some goat herdsmen, and he picked it up
there."
The virus has a 3-week incubation period, and then once it comes out
of incubation, it starts to attack. [According to the WHO Web site:
Following infection via tick bite, the incubation period is usually
one to 3 days, with a maximum of 9 days. The incubation period
following contact with infected blood or tissues is usually 5 to 6
days, with a documented maximum of 13 days. - Mod.CP]. The soldier
started hemorrhaging on Sunday [13 Sep 2009], and the doctors gave him
2 units of packed red-blood cells and platelets.
"Tuesday, they gave him another dose of platelets, and administered a
feeding tube. By that point, we were told his [probability of
survival] had dropped from 50 percent to 5 percent. I was talking to
his sister (on Wed 16 Sep 2009) and the doctors were going to take him
for a CAT scan, but the heart attack hit before they could do that."
The deceased soldier 1st enlisted in the U.S. Army more than 4 years
ago in Montgomery. He was assigned to Fort Lewis in Pierce County,
Washington, and became a member of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat
Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which was sent to Afghanistan in July
[2009]. He had recently re-enlisted with the U.S. Army for 6 more
years, and his late father had also served in the military. "He had
come home for a visit in August," his relative said. "The military was
his life. The only thing he wanted to do was go into service. He was
very honored to serve his country."
The relative said funeral arrangements have not been finalized, and
the immediate family is still in Germany. The body will undergo an
autopsy in Atlanta, Georgia, prior to a funeral.
[Byline: Justin Schuver]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[The geographical distribution of CCHF, like that of its tick vector,
is widespread. Evidence of CCHF virus has been found in Africa, Asia,
the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Health care workers in endemic
areas should be aware of the illness and the correct infection control
procedures to protect themselves and their patients from the risk of
nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infection. Humans who become infected
with CCHF acquire the virus from direct contact with blood or other
infected tissues from livestock during this time, or they may become
infected from a tick bite. The majority of cases have occurred in
those involved with the livestock industry, such as agricultural
workers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians.
According to the WHO Web site, general supportive therapy is the
mainstay of patient management in CCHF. Intensive monitoring to guide
volume and blood component replacement is required. The antiviral drug
ribavirin has been used in treatment of established CCHF infection
with apparent benefit. Both oral and intravenous formulations seem to
be effective. The value of immune plasma from recovered patients for
therapeutic purposes has not been demonstrated, although it has been
employed on several occasions. No vaccine is currently available, but
as this incident indicates there is an urgent need for development of
a prophylactic vaccine. - Mod.CP]
[CCHF virus infection was originally reported from a 1944 outbreak
affecting 200 Soviet military who were assisting peasants in the
war-devastated Crimean peninsula of the Ukraine. Only about 5000 cases
of CCHF virus infection have been recorded since then in the
literature, and given the relatively small number of people at risk
for contracting the disease, large-scale development and production of
a vaccine to modern regulatory standards seems unlikely. Ref: Ergonul
O & Whitehouse CA 2007 Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Springer. -
Mod.JW]
[see also:
2008
----
Crimean-Congo hem. fever - Afghanistan: (Herat) 20080827.2685
2002
----
Congo hem. fever - Iran ex Afghanistan 20020607.4430
2001
----
Crimean-Congo HF - Afghanistan, Pakistan (03) 20011011.2479
Crimean-Congo HF - Afghanistan, Pakistan (02) 20011010.2467
Crimean-Congo HF - Afghanistan, Pakistan 20011004.2409
1998
----
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever - Afghanistan 19980509.0911 ]
.................cp/ejp/jw
*################################################# #########*Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Is that typical for the Army to request a body for research?The Army continues to investigate the incident.
...Brown said the Army had requested that Gordon’s body be donated for research, but the family only agreed to the donation of his vital organs.
That "3-week incubation period" is quite a stretch from "Following infection via tick bite, the incubation period is usually one to 3 days".The salvage of human life ought to be placed above barter and exchange ~ Louis Harris, 1918Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Whether the incubation period really was three weeks in this case is not clear. That first article was not terribly well written, and might have just contained an error.
As far as the Army requesting the body, that makes obvious sense. We just had a hemorrhagic death in a war zone. It makes sense to perform a full autopsy to rule out the unlikely event of bioterrorism. Also, if they were really scared of such things, they wouldn't have given the family the option - they would have just kept the body. I think that because CCHF is such a rare illness, there are a lot of tests the Army researchers might want to run.Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Flags fly at half mast to honor soldier
Gordon?s funeral slated for Saturday
From staff reports
Published Wednesday, September 23, 2009
All Covington County flags will be lowered to half-mast today in honor of the local U.S. Army soldier who succumbed last week to a virus he contracted from a tick bite while serving in Afghanistan. His family requested that flags be lowered in his name.
Sgt. E-5 Robert David Gordon II, 22, of River Falls, was stationed close to Afghanistan?s capital of Kabul when bitten, family members said. Gordon, who was transferred to Germany for medical treatment, slipped into a five-day coma before suffering a heart attack on Wed., Sept. 16.
Doctors determined Gordon contracted the rare Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, which has been recorded in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. According to the World Health Organization?s Web site, the mortality rate for the CCHF virus is 30 percent.
The family will receive friends Friday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Foreman-Brown Service Funeral Home in Andalusia.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Red Level High School auditorium, followed by burial in the New Home Cemetery on Plywood Mill Road.
The flags will remain at half-mast throughout the weekend in Gordon?s honor.
Comments
Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on September 24, 2009 at 7:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I appreciate the city of Andalusia for giving this fine soldier the honor and respect he deserves. .
Posted by scobb (anonymous) on September 24, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Covington County and surrounding areas, please show your support for this family and the sacrifice that they and SGT Gordon made for us and his country. Please make sure your offices and home flags are lowered to half mast today, and that you remember the family in their time of need. With so much happening in our lives, let us stop to remember this young man who sacrificed everything so that you didn't have to. Please stay tuned to WAAO as Mr. Wilson is in the plannig process of a line of citizens to show their support for David and his family. Also, thank you to Covington County Administration for asking all area flags be lowered.
Posted by Blondie (anonymous) on September 24, 2009 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There are no words that can describe what this family is going thru at this time, but the respect and honor of us, the public can show them that we appreciate their son, and all the others out there that serve for us!
God Bless this family, and monica, I know you may not remember me by name, but my heart goes out to you my long time friend!
Susan
Posted by Shamrock (anonymous) on September 24, 2009 at 10:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There's a wonderful memory of David from his friend Tony Pate about going to David's house in the backyard to play GI Joe's with David.
This is on the Starnews Obituary.
We give our best prayers for this young man and his family.
God be with you.Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Body of soldier arrives in Mobile
Body of soldier arrives in Mobile
Updated: Wednesday, 23 Sep 2009, 11:09 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 23 Sep 2009, 11:09 PM CDT
Cherish Lombard
Mike Jernigan
MOBILE, Ala. - The body of a United States soldier arrived in Mobile Wednesday night.
Twenty-two year old Robert David Gordon II died in a hospital in Germany after he was bitten by a tick in Afghanistan on September 11th, just three days after his birthday.
He contracted a rare virus called CCHF, or Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
CCHF is found in places including Eastern Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
Numerous wild and domestic animals, like cattle, goats and sheep serve as hosts for the virus.
Humans can contract the virus through contact with infected animal blood or ticks.
When Sergeant Gordon contracted the virus, he went into a coma for five days, before he suffered a heart attack, and passed away.
He was part of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Second Infantry Division, which was sent to Afghanistan in July.
He graduated from Red Level High School in 2006.Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
The word suspect in this thread title is likely unnecessary.
Remembering a son
Funeral for young soldier is today
By Stephanie Nelson (Contact) | Andalusia Star-News
Published Saturday, September 26, 2009
When he was a boy, Sgt. Robert David Gordon II loved G.I. Joes.
Diane Gordon said her son was 3 when he first showed his affinity for the action figure he would emulate later in his life. At the time, his family was stationed in the Panama Canal where his father was serving in the U.S. Army.
“He had his little friend that lived behind us, and they would be out there playing G.I. Joes,” she said. “If I had all the money we spent on G.I. Joes, I’d be set. But it carried through until the age until he could sign up on his own.”
David lost his father, Robert Gordon, at a young age, and was reared by his mother, and arguably the community of Red Level, where he attended school.
David, who lived in River Falls, was described by fellow classmates as a kind, fun-loving and easy-going person. As soon as he turned 18, the Red Level High School senior joined the U.S. Army.
“There was never any doubt about what David was going to do,” Gordon said. “We always knew he was going into the military. He put on a tough front for his friends, but deep down, he was such a sweet, sweet boy. He was an infantryman in the Army. His daddy was an infantryman, so that made up his mind.”
David was assigned to Fort Lewis in Pierce County, Wash., and was a member of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which was deployed to Afghanistan in July. He had recently re-enlisted with the U.S. Army for six more years and was quickly rising through the Army ranks, achieving his sergeant stripes. As the War on Terror progressed, it was inevitable he would make his way overseas. It was there David encountered the one enemy he wasn’t trained to fight against, and the one that eventually took his life — a tick.
It happened while he was stationed near Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, while Gordon was apparently in the countryside with goat herdsmen and was bitten.
Gordon said she never had any indication her son wasn’t feeling well. She hadn’t spoken with him since the first part of August but did get an e-mail from him on Aug. 22.
When the phone rang at 5:30 a.m. on Fri., Sept. 11, she had no idea what news the voice on the other side was about to deliver.
“They said they had (evacuated) him from Afghanistan to Germany and that he was in the hospital,” she said. “That was it. No other information. I was thinking, ‘Well, he’s sick. He’s going to be fine.’
“Later, the doctor from Germany called and said he was critical and in ICU but stable,” she said. “I got a little worried after that, but the next day by 9 p.m. I was in Washington getting my passport so I could go see him. Still I was thinking, ‘He’s got pneumonia or something. He’ll be bad sick for a few days and then get to come home.’ ”
Gordon said by the time she and her son Charlie arrived in Germany on Sun., Sept. 13, they were greeted with the news that Gordon “probably wouldn’t make it.”
Unfortunately, those doctors were right.
Doctors say David contracted the rare Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, which eventually led to many complications from which his body couldn’t recover. He died the following Wednesday, Sept. 16. He was 22.
Now, all Gordon has left is those few G.I. Joes her son loved so much and the memories of how he would call her on every birthday to remind her how old she was.
“David always knew what he was going to do,” she said. “I said, ‘The timing … why don’t you hold off? There’s a war going on.’ No, he said. It had to be right then.
“That’s the kind of person he was,” she said. “He was a shy sweet boy. He had a mischievous streak, and when he made up his mind, that was it. I know that he did what he always dreamed he would do — be a soldier. I’m proud of him for that.
“David knew from a small age where he was going. He stepped in at a small age and went,” she said. “And it led us to where we are today.”Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Rare virus poses new threat to troops
By Sara A. Carter
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan |
U.S. military officials sent a medical team to a remote outpost in southern Afghanistan this week to take blood samples from members of an Army unit after a soldier in the unit died from an Ebola-like virus.
Dr. Jim Radike, an expert in internal medicine and infectious diseases at the Role 3 Trauma Hospital at Kandahar Air Field, told The Washington Times that Sgt. Robert David Gordon, 22, from River Falls, Ala., died Sept. 16 from what turned out to be Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever after he was bitten by a tick. The virus is transmitted by infected blood and can be carried by ticks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Dr. Radike, who is with the Navy, said the medical team "will be taking blood samples and the results may take several weeks to get back." He called it "a precautionary measure."
Dr. Radike did not say how many individuals would be tested or why the military had waited until now to act. The unit involved is the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry division, A-Company 2-1 Infantry.
The news comes as the Pentagon disclosed that it has sent 150,000 doses of vaccine for the H1N1 swine flu virus to Qatar for distribution to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan - half of what U.S. Central Command has requested. More than a half dozen Afghans have died of the disease, which apparently was transmitted to the country by foreigners.
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Wednesday, "We're doing everything within our power to make sure our guys downrange get this [vaccine] as soon as possible."
Dr. Radke said the hemorrhagic fever is similar to Ebola "in that the end there is internal degeneration and external bleeding. From the Black Sea to upper Turkey, you'll see a dozen or more cases a year. Afghanistan falls right in the middle."
The disease was first reported in the Crimea in 1944, then in the Congo in 1956, according to the World Health Organization. An outbreak was reported eight years ago in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan.
Dr. Radke said U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan not only have to worry about the Taliban but also a host of ailments not commonly found in the West.
"Diarrheal diseases, typhoid fever, skin ailments and tuberculosis are some of what we have to be on the lookout for," he said. "It's important for soldiers to get medical help early on if they are not feeling well or have been bitten. It's too risky not to have a doctor take a look at it."
Dr. Radike also advised soldiers to "wash their hands often; it's as simple as that."
Symptoms of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever include sudden fever, dizziness, neck pain, aching muscles, soreness in the eyes and sensitivity to light. Early on, nausea, vomiting and sore throat occur.
The virus incubation period depends on how the virus was acquired. If the infection is via tick bite, the incubation period is roughly one to three days, with a maximum of nine days, Dr. Radike said. If the illness is not caught early, it is often fatal, he said. The mortality rate is 30 percent, according to the CDC.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey French, Sgt. Gordon's battalion commander, told The Times from Forward Operating Base Ramrod, to the west of Kandahar City, that the soldier's death "was a tragic loss for everyone."
It started out as a small bite on the foot, Col. French said.
The Stryker Brigade has lost 27 soldiers since its deployment to Afghanistan in July, most from improvised explosive devices.
"We never would have thought we'd see the death of a young soldier from such a rare illness," Col. French said. "You can prepare for almost anything out here but how do you prepare for that?"
Sgt. Gordon's decorations and awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge and V-Device for valor. He was also awarded three Army Achievement medals.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/06/rare-virus-poses-new-threat-to-troops/
Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
We are well beyond the incubation period of anyone exposed to the dead soldier. I believe the current ongoing concern is to possible further tick bites.Comment
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Re: U.S. soldier dies of suspected CCHF in Germany after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan
Volume 21, Number 1?January 2015
Synopsis
Health Care Response to CCHF in US Soldier and Nosocomial Transmission to Health Care Providers, Germany, 2009
Nicholas G. CongerComments to Author , Kristopher M. Paolino, Erik C. Osborn, Janice M. Rusnak, Stephan G?nther, Jane Pool, Pierre E. Rollin, Patrick F. Allan, Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, Toni Rieger, and Mark G. Kortepeter1
Author affiliations: Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany (N.G. Conger, E.C. Osborn, J. Pool, P.F. Allan); Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA (K.M. Paolino); Force Health Protection, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA (J.M. Rusnak); Bernard Nocht Institute, Hamburg, Germany (S. G?nther, J. Schmidt-Chanasit, T. Rieger); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (P. Rollin); Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (M.G. Kortepeter)
Abstract
In 2009, a lethal case of Crimean?Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), acquired by a US soldier in Afghanistan, was treated at a medical center in Germany and resulted in nosocomial transmission to 2 healthcare providers (HCPs). After his arrival at the medical center (day 6 of illness) by aeromedical evacuation, the patient required repetitive bronchoscopies to control severe pulmonary hemorrhage and renal and hepatic dialysis for hepatorenal failure. After showing clinical improvement, the patient died suddenly on day 11 of illness from cerebellar tonsil herniation caused by cerebral/cerebellar edema. The 2 infected HCPs were among 16 HCPs who received ribavirin postexposure prophylaxis. The infected HCPs had mild or no CCHF symptoms. Transmission may have occurred during bag-valve-mask ventilation, breaches in personal protective equipment during resuscitations, or bronchoscopies generating infectious aerosols. This case highlights the critical care and infection control challenges presented by severe CCHF cases, including the need for experience with ribavirin treatment and postexposure prophylaxis.
...
Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.Comment
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