Army Functional Specialty Team Mentors Medical Students in Ethiopia

By U.S. Army Specialist Sheri Carter

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

DIRE DAWA, Ethiopia (Aug. 25 2010) – The U.S. Army Functional Specialty Team (Fx
SP) of the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, collaborated with and mentored nursing students
from the Dire Dawa Arts Medical College while conducting the first segment of a multi-
phase Medical Civic Assistance Program (MEDCAP) in the Kalabaydh Village within the
Shinile Zone (Woreda) of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

“The importance of this mission is three-fold; it strengthens the healthcare system in

Ethiopia by mentoring Ethiopian nursing students and laboratory technicians in
parasite/bacteria collection and analysis, legitimizes the Ethiopian government by
collaborating with them on our missions in the Shinile Woreda, and maintains friendly
relationships between residents and the U.S. military,” said U.S. Army Nurse
Practitioner, Fx SP, Maj. Brad Franklin.

The Kalabaydh Village, located in the Somali region of Eastern Ethiopia, is home to
many children who suffer from Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia), a parasite that lives in the
intestines. The Woreda Health Bureau treated the villagers of Kalabaydh with a broad-
spectrum de-wormer two to three weeks prior to this MEDCAP. This phase of the
MEDCAP included the collection of fecal samples to determine if parasite medications
presently used have been effective.

Preliminary results indicate a high incidence of G. lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica, as

well as numerous cases of hookworm and Hymenolepis nana, a tapeworm. Parasites
such as G. lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica can be contracted by eating
contaminated food and drinking water, which cause diarrhea and dysentery. Results
also found many cases of schistosomiasis.

“These diseases are classified as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs),” said U.S. Army
Capt. Brett Swierczewski, a parasitologist with the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit –
Kenya (USAMRU-K). Schistosomes are parasitic flatworms that inhabit the circulatory
system and are the cause of a debilitating and insidious disease for millions of people
worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Follow up phases of the MEDCAP will include treatment to children that tested positive
for parasites, re-testing to measure overall effectiveness of treatments, and education to
the villagers on the importance of hygiene, sanitation and water purification.

“Getting into these remote villages, collecting the samples and identifying what they
need to be treated for and then treating them is not the most important task. The
important task is informing them how, where and why they are getting infected, teaching
them how to prevent getting infected and then having them implement what they have
been taught, ” said U.S. Army Civil Affairs Team Sergeant Master Sgt. Steven Jackson.
Local officials have expressed their appreciation for the work done by the team. “On
behalf of my people, thank you for the projects you have done in the rural areas to
benefit them,” said Shinile Zone Administrator, Ali Umar.