Army Has Long History of Combating Diseases

April 23, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

Army researchers are working to rapidly develop and test experimental vaccines to combat COVID-19, Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy said.

The Army is also collaborating with the private sector and other government entities on 24 vaccine candidates, some of which are headed for human testing after having been tested on animals, McCarthy told reporters at a recent Pentagon news conference.

If history is any indicator of future success, there is reason to be hopeful. Being at the forefront of medical breakthroughs is nothing new for Army researchers:

Fighting Malaria

Due to their ability to carry and spread diseases such as malaria, mosquitoes are one of the deadliest insects in the world, killing an average of 725,000 people a year, said. Army Col. (Dr.) Deydre Teyhen, commander of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. That surpasses the combined annual number of deaths from combat (475,000), deadly snakebites (50,000), crocodile attacks (1,000) and shark attacks (10).

To reduce deaths caused by mosquitoes, WRAIR has acted on several fronts, she said: providing proactive medical diplomacy, delivering vaccines and vector control, and leading the world in malaria drug and vaccine development.

An antibiotic drug developed by Army researchers several years ago is now available to treat service members who have life-threatening, multidrug-resistant, or MDR, bacterial infections.

Arbekacin is a new antibiotic treatment for MDR infections. Those types of infections may complicate wounds suffered by soldiers in combat, said Army Col. (Dr.) Michael Zapor, an infectious diseases physician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

"Of all the bacterial species found on the planet, relatively few are intrinsically multidrug-resistant pathogens,"  Zapor said. "In Iraq and Afghanistan, the bacterium known as acinetobacter is one such MDR bacterium that has caused problems in our patient population."

Acinetobacter is commonly found in the water and soil of regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. Although it's intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics, it's not especially virulent and generally not problematic in humans unless their immune system has been severely compromised or the bacterium is inoculated deep into macerated tissue, as would occur with massive open wounds resulting from battle injuries.

Infections caused by the bacterium were prevalent during the Vietnam War, he said. But at the time, antibiotics were usually successful in eradicating acinetobacter infections. However, over time, resistance emerged and antibiotics became less effective against many pathogenic bacteria, including acinetobacter.

Fighting Yellow Fever

A lot of service members were taken out of the fight in 1898 during the Spanish-American War due to yellow fever.

The Army created the Yellow Fever Commission, led by Army Maj. (Dr.) Walter Reed, which determined that mosquitoes were the carriers of the disease. The commission developed effective control programs to eradicate the mosquitoes.

Fighting Adenovirus

Acute respiratory diseases were fairly common among service members in the early 1950s. Maurice Hilleman, a microbiologist with the Army Medical Center's Department of Respiratory Diseases, discovered that the adenovirus was the culprit.

WRAIR created an adenovirus vaccine in 1956, just three years after its discovery.

Alaska National Guard Adopts Proactive Response Posture to COVID-19

April 23, 2020 | BY Army Sgt. Seth Lacount , DOD News

President James Buchanan said, "The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there." In that spirit, Alaska National Guard leaders have built on their preemptive measures to mitigate the potential harm done by the COVID-19 coronavirus.

More than a month has passed since President Donald J. Trump issued a national emergency declaration in response to the pandemic, and Alaska still maintains one of the lowest contraction rates and death tolls in the nation.

In early March, Alaska's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, under the authority of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, activated the State Emergency Operations Center to establish a network of available resources for partner agencies and local communities.

The governor then initiated a unified command structure between the Department of Health and Social Services, Department of Public Safety and DMVA to ensure a swift, effective response to COVID-19 and to augment potentially overwhelmed communities.

Additionally, Joint Task Force Alaska stood up to provide a coordinated effort for Alaska Organized Militia forces to support the state. Alaska Organized Militia includes the Army and Air National Guard, the Alaska State Defense Force and the Alaska Naval Militia.

"I can't help but be aware of the fact that we stand, once again, on the stage of history," said ArmyCapt. James Tollefson, a Joint Task Force Alaska operations plans officer. "The COVID crisis will subside eventually and be followed by landmark reforms and legislation, just like [Hurricane] Katrina, the Enron collapse, the Great Recession and 9/11 were. Each of us engaged in this response will have played a small but essential part of that historical drama."

In state emergencies like this pandemic, the National Guard is called upon as a last-resort measure to fulfill missions when other state, private and nonprofit resources are unavailable or unable to meet requests directly related to an emergency or disaster.

"The Guard is unique in that it has this state role and the ability to respond on behalf of our fellow Alaskans in their darkest hour," Tollefson said. "It motivates me to know that while people are hunkering down, we're actively preparing to go forth and take care of our communities."

Joint Task Force Alaska has the equipment, facilities, personnel, training and experience to meet logistical, transportation and safety requirements for the state upon request.

Due to the unprecedented response requirements of the pandemic, Joint Task Force Alaska works to perfect the response force's battle rhythm to ensure maximum efficiency.

"We've engaged in a lot of crucial relationship building with our brothers and sisters in the organized militia," Tollefson said. "It will make a huge difference if this response ramps up, and we've done a lot of internal process refinement to ensure that we're ready to go when the time comes."

Under the leadership of Joint Task Force Alaska, the Alaska National Guard and the rest of the organized militia have met the challenges set before them, Tollefson said. While the future of the COVID-19 pandemic is uncertain, Alaskans everywhere can rest assured that members of the National Guard, Alaska State Defense Force and Naval Militia will be there to protect their neighbors in their time of need

"Our people are ready," he said. "They're volunteering at the Bean's Café kitchen, screening passengers at airports and helping with logistics in the Department of Health and Social Services warehouse."

"Quietly, inexhaustibly, behind-the-scenes, we are there, working and planning to keep Alaskans safe," the captain continued. "And if the need arises, there will be many hundreds more who follow where these first few have led the way."

(Army Sgt. Seth LaCount is assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard.)

Maryland Guard's Surgeon Details State COVID-19 Assistance

April 22, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

Some 1,400 Maryland National Guard soldiers and airmen are on active duty, and 700 more are on enhanced standby, able to come on active duty within a matter of hours if called upon by the governor, the Maryland Guard's state surgeon said.

Of those called up, 73 are health and medical specialists who are now dealing with COVID-19, Army Col. (Dr.) Eric Allely told reporters by phone during a Pentagon news conference today regarding the Guard's COVID-19 efforts in his state.

The Maryland Guard has visited about 40 of the 227 skilled-nursing homes throughout the state, as well as some children's facilities, he said. Skilled nursing homes are in-patient rehabilitation centers staffed with trained medical professionals.

The visits are performed with multidisciplined Guard teams of health and medical specialists, Allely said, working closely with the Maryland Department of Health.

Several types of teams conduct the visits, Allely said. One does an overall assessment, one provides care, another works in behavioral health, and another provides medical testing and education.

The behavioral health professionals are particularly important, the doctor said. "People need to be reassured," he explained. "They are experts at post-traumatic stress and are extremely well received."

Allely said the guardsmen do COVID-19 testing and turn the tests over to the Maryland Department of Health, which runs the tests at 10 a.m. daily. Results are provided the same day. The staff in the skilled-nursing homes he's visited are professionals and don't often get the credit due them, he added.

The health of the guardsmen is also important, he told reporters, noting that he's trying to ensure people are not working long hours and becoming fatigued. "This is not a sprint; it's a marathon," he said. "I take this very seriously."

The Maryland Guard also is supporting food and food distribution missions throughout the state. "For us, it's not just about handing out food," Allely said. "It's about being there in any way we can help."

Noting that the virtual online community is important to efforts to stop COVID-19, the state surgeon said guard officials are working cyber threat issues, ensuring that information is accurate and that people stay connected.