European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 7, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday a january 7,1993 Somalia the stars and stripes b Page 11 fear win War on go illnesses by Mark Fritz the associated press Mogadishu Somalia despite killer fleas stray bullets kids on drugs Moody wipers giant spiders and a deadly menu of 70 infectious diseases . Troops Are healthier in Somalia than they were in the persian  experts credit one thing in particular pure terror. Quot we told the troops if there a a disease in the world its in Somalia a said David Knapp .40, a . Navy preventive Medicine technician. Doctors describe such a potentially horrible health scenario to . Troops that they diligently pop their weekly malaria pills slap on insect repellent and avoid ocal food and water like the plague. �?o1 can to even finish a meal because i think did i Wash my hands Well enough a said senior airman Michelle Orosco 26, of Marquette Mich. Quot they sure scared  although 350,000 somalis have died from disease famine and bloodshed in the past year . Troops have expert ended Only minor health problems. Quot either we re Lucky or somebody did something right a said Navy it. Cmdr. Allan Hammer 39, head of the Preven. Five Medicine contingent in  Hammer said less than 1 percent of . Military personnel routinely suffer from diarrhoea caused by bacteria compared with 10 percent of the . Personnel who were in saudi Arabia. The main health problem in Somalia has been heat rash caused by Side effects of the malaria Medicine. The Medicine makes Many people More susceptible to the Sun. Two marines have been bitten by venomous mole vipers which attack Only when harassed. One person came Down with what doctors believe is malaria. This in a nation filled with Assassin mosquitoes that also carry such exotic maladies As rift Valley fever of Nyong Nyong fever and Chi ung Una disease. One person contracted Dengue fever another Mosquito borne disease a Cou pie of cases of she Galli River fever and land of bad Mogadishu Somalia the list of somalian scourges reads like a horror novel but unfortunately for people in Somalia its based on fact. Here Are some of the titbits found in the defense intelligence Agency and armed forces medical intelligence Center report Quot operation restore Hope health risks and countermeasures in Somalia. Mosquitoes they Are carriers of malaria yellow fever West Nile and sin Bis fevers Dengue fever and Chiku Gunya disease. In one City 54 percent of somalis were found to have had Dengue fever at one time in their lives. Some strains of malaria were found to be resistant to traditional rna Laria prevent Iota pills. Flies a there arc numerous species and diseases including the Tumbri Fly which can sniff out urine deposits even in freshly laundered underwear the Fly lays its eggs in the deposits. The larvae then Burrow into the skin leaving a boil like eruption and a disease known As myi Asis. Fleas a a plague carrying Stets suck blood from rats. Quot when a Host Dies Flea leave and seek a new. Host. If i humans happen to be near fleas will attack and infect them a the report said. Other bugs Somalia has scorpions Black widow spiders and foot Long centipedes. Snails a they can carry and. Schistosomiasis a urinary infection. Plants there is an array of thorny vegetation capable of inflicting severe puncture wounds. Snakes there is the Black Mamba with a highly toxic venom. It is very fast and defensive. Another Type the carpet Viper buries itself in the Sand until Only its head is exposed. It is Likely to flee when encountered but it has been known to Chase its victims. Another Snake present in Somalia is the puff adder a very poisonous big and dad tempered Viper. Drugs a there is khat a Plant that contains an alkaloid called Cath Inone similar to amphetamine. It makes people hyperactive excited aggressive anxious and sometimes manic. Salmonella also have been recorded Hammer said. In Bali Dogle a Marine was bitten on the foot by a Bat that had set up House under the marines cot. The Marine is getting rabies shots. The hellish zoo of hyenas wild dogs 9 Inch spiders plague carrying fleas foot Long centipedes disease earning snails and other Creepy crawlers is kept at Bay by repellents pesticides cleared Brush careful walking and pure Luck. Prevention has been emphasized during the somalian humanitarian Effort More than during any other american military Mission. Before the Mission began the defense intelligence Agency issued a report of health re secs More Tern flying than a Stephen King novel. The Navy a Hammer said that for the first time Ever his unit got All the medical supplies it asked for from military officials. Quot we did t have to fight anybody a he said. When troops began arriving last month. Preventive Medicine teams swabbed everything they could with Calcium hypochlorite a Strong Type of chlo nne. A a a. A a the troops also used yellow crystals called Fly tee a hormone that sexually attracts both female and male flies then kills them. A a they die with a smile a said Knapp the Navy preventive Medicine technician from port Orchard Wash. A huge warehouse at Mogadishu the main . Staging area was to be converted into a living quarters for thousands of troops. But it was caked with 2 inches of Bat droppings plus a few Goat carcasses. Quot there a no Book that tells you How to Clear a warehouse of 2 inches of Bat Kano a Knapp said. With the help of a firetruck Ana water Crews blasted the area clean. Unlike in the Gulf no food or water was obtained locally in Somalia. Reverse osmosis water purification units were setup to desalinated purify and chlorinated Ocean water. Bottled water also was shipped from abroad although a couple of kenyan brands were found to be contaminated. Hammer 39, of Ishpeming Mich., said the fact that . Troops Are not helping to provide Aid a Only guarding its delivery a has reduced the health threat because Contact with any ill somalis is minimal. Health threats from the populace Are increasing however.  troops arc frequently pelted with rocks often from youngsters who Chew khat a Plant that contains an  drug. Somalian hoodlums and looters frequently take potshots at . Military  medical clinic in Mogadishu run by the Navy is perhaps the wildest military medical facility. Somalis who unload Grain from Relief ships constantly drag themselves in with Bullet or knife wounds or broken Bones from dropped sacks of Grain. A the clinic also sees military personnel from 19 other countries that have peacekeepers in Somalia. The most frequent visitors Are italians and French the main targets of Rock throwing youths. Italy once colonized Somalia and the French shot some somalis who drove through a checkpoint. Ancestral Home not always so Sweet big blast coming kneeling in a Sand pit near Mogadishu Somalia a . Marine explosives specialist Hooks up the wiring that will detonate a collection of confiscated weapons and three 500-Pound bombs in one powerful blast. Ordnance disposal teams Are destroying captured munitions in an Effort to reduce the number of deadly weapons on Mogadishu a streets. Mogadishu Somalia a . Marine sgt. James Wilson Felt the lug of his roots the lure of his ancestors Homeland. So he volunteered for Somalia. What a mistake. Quot i thought it would be great to get some insight into my heritage Quot said Wilson 26, a mess Hall Cook from Cleveland. Quot but i feel really different a Way different. They look at me like in Mon the other  when president Bush deployed troops to this african nation it gave a sizable percentage of the Force a free ticket to the continent of their origins a Chance to hear an Echo of their own ancestry. Three weeks into the Mission some african am cry cans just cannot relate to the somalian culture. Others however feel a Strong Bond despite the language Barrier and the minority of wild kids who make a sport out of antagonizing the troops. Capt. Joe Terry 32, is relishing his Mission in operation restore Hope. He volunteered while he was stationed in Okinawa Japan and got a dream assignment Liaison to the nigerian army contingent taking part in the .-led Effort to protect food shipments to the starving nation. A i thought a yeah we re going to help our Brothers and Sisters in Africa in a just cause and work with other  its quite an experience a said the War Renton n.c., native. Quot its like a cultural Exchange program.�?�. Working with the nigerians has Given Terry a glimpse of another Africa beyond the appalling deprivation of Somalia. Unlike the somalis who primarily speak their own Tongue the nigerians All speak perfect English. Terry Aid he has found them to be a lot like americans and has formed Bonds that will outlast his tour. He even has invitations to visit Nigeria and stay with friends. Quot their religion is islam of course but they re just like us a he said. Quot and we be got what i hear is some Good nigerian food coming  regardless of ethnic background Many . Troops regard Somalia As a hot filthy hellhole Ridden with disease carrying Flics and mosquitoes a and plagued by outlaws constantly trying to steal military equipment. But some Are Able to look past the surface hostilities a Dan warfare and predatory looting a at the people themselves the majority of whom Welcome the americans stabilizing presence. Quot they seem very excited full of anticipation a said Marine staff sgt. Vidaurry Higgins 33, of Learne Texas who is pos edit the former . Embassy now the Marine Headquarters. When he heard he was going to Somalia he said his wife and three children were More excited than afraid. Quot i love helping people and bringing Joy to their faces. In be always had a desire to visit Africa but 1 never thought i could afford it a Higgins said As he clutched his m-16 Rifle and stood behind barbed wire separating a Small crowd of somalis from lie embassy compound s main Gate. Quot i got two great things out of this. We get to feed people and i get to visit Africa Quot army sgt. Crystal Cockerell a bit Giddy at just being promoted from Corporal tuesday has round nothing More than a greater appreciation for where she now lives. A i always wanted to come to Africa and now that in a Here its a Shock a said Cockerell 24, of Lorain Ohio a member of the 7lh trans group out of fort Eustis a. A a it a a real culture Shock Quot she said a you really take for granted what you have in the United