European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 24, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday july 24, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3. A a a a a a a a a \. Ass Vince Crawley Anny sol Sandra Ealey of the 10th medical Laboratory at Lan Stuhl Germany wears a suit designed to protect medical workers against contagious diseases. Spec. Jennifer Wilkinson of Lan Stuhl and spec. Joshua Jones of fort Detrick md., adjust the  enemies army medical teams upgrade skills in baffle against exotic viruses by Vince Crawley staff writer Ramstein a Germany a Hunting for the worlds deadliest diseases might not sound like glamorous work but the army a microbe warriors Point out that they might soon be featured in a major motion picture starring Robert Redford. A a we re just like a cop catching a crime suspect Quot said or. David Turgeon an army major of the Complex lab work required to isolate killer infections. The latest microcosm crime scene is the african country of Zaire where More than 1 million refugees have fled the civil War in neighbouring Rwanda. Disease in the refugee Camps is reaching an epidemic scale with 1,000 dying each Day and the United states is being called upon to help. But the Region harbours rare deadly african fevers that have no known vaccines. So with the military sending in Relief planes and a 25-member assessment team this weekend to Goma Zaire medical authorities Are gearing up to handle worst Case disease situations among . Troops. Twelve specialists from fort Detrick md., site of one of the top two disease research facilities in the United states were at Ramstein a last week teaching army medics How to handle patients with highly contagious infections. A with the emerging illnesses coming out of Africa and with More and More of our troops going Down there on humanitarian missions we want to have the ability to respond Quot said or. Philip Perkins a colonel who commands the army a 10th medical Laboratory in Lan Stuhl Germany. The cast of culprits includes viruses with exotic names like crimean Congo fever ebola Lassa and marburg All of which Are strains of Hemorrhagic fever causing bleeding from the nose Mouth eyes and skin and usually ending in death. The Chance of catching these viruses is Remote even among africans. But once caught these illnesses can pose a threat to whole communities. Hence the military a concern about making sure they done to spread. An outbreak of ebola in the 1970s swept through 50 villages in Zaire killing 90 percent of its victims according to an article in this months National geographic Magazine. In desperation thei>4s Vinca Crawley spec. James Jaissle on an isolation Stretcher for patients with deadly contagious diseases chats with a co worker. Specialists from fort Detrick md., were at Ramstein a Germany to teach army medics How to handle patients with contagious infections. Zairian government sealed off All roads Between the afflicted Region and the capital City of Kinshasa. Then the disease disappeared. Some scientists think ebola is so deadly that it kills off its victims before they have a Chance to spread it to others. Crimean Congo fever a relate i rus also has been recorded in the Zain re Gion which used to be called belgian Congo. Rare and deadly epidemics in the third world Seldom involve westerners. A a a a a. A a  a amps Vince Crawley spec. David Langdon in lab Cost and sgt. Kevin Morrissette prepare to incubate antibodies. They Ore technicians with the 10th medical Laboratory in Lan Stuhl Germany. The Frankfurt Giessen area where it surfaced about 20 years ago. The 10th medical lab in Germany has the contingency plan a to respond to Europe As Well As the african continent a said Caudle who is from fort Detrick a a we re on the East coast of the United states. From Europe you have a much quicker response time to outbreaks on this Side of the world. With modern lab equipment Able to identify a deadly virus in four hours a half the time of a trans Atlantic flight a the microbiologists say it makes sense to have a front line Lap in Europe. So doctors said their goal is to give the 10th medical Laboratory enough equipment and training to do initial diagnoses the lab also Fields the . Army Europe a medical biological assessment and response team which has the aim of diagnosing deadly illnesses before they become catastrophic. The Redford movie called crisis in the hot zone is in reproduction at 20th Century Fox a film company spokesman said. It is based on an actual ebola occurrence in the United states. A in 1989, monkeys recently imported to the United states were in quarantine in Reston va., and began dying. Initially thought to be a Simian virus a it. Turned out they were infected with ebola virus the first time ebola was Ever isolated in the United states a Caudle said. The army team from fort Detrick was called in to decontaminate the facility. Redford and Jodie Foster were originally slated to portray an army veterinary couple on the team. But Foster backed out of the project earlier this month so the search is on for a new female Lead. The film is to be directed by Ridley Scott whose credits include alien and Blade runner. Although they Arentt ordinarily in the spotlight Caudle said that microbiologists Are on the front lines of National defense. A from a National perspective a he said of deadly viruses like ebola a consider the horrendous implications of this getting out into the Community and population at Large a and he said of the painstaking work and High technology required to wage War against the tiny unseen enemies a nobody is going to do this but the army a Stafl writer Chuck Vinch in Washington d.c., contributed to this report said or. Lester Caudle a major with the . Medical research Institute for infectious diseases at fort Detrick. But he said a was we get More involved in these areas the likelihood  and the exotic diseases Arentt found Only in tropical climes. Fort Detrick personnel damned to Sweden a few years ago to help treat a child who had contracted ebola symptoms after vacationing in Africa. The child survived. And the marburg Strain of the virus is named for a town in Germany North of