Update from Ethiopia - November 23, 2008

Signs in both Ahmaric and English at the entrance to the classroom proclaimed the training going on inside.


The CAHWs were provided the Key Afer version of “Starbucks” during breaks two times a day. A lady was contracted to provide coffee husk tea to the students as well as a mixture of corn and beans.

She always had her young daughter, Simoney with her.


The husk tea brew tastes pretty good, more like tea than coffee since only the husk, or outer shell of the coffee bean is steeped in hot water to make the drink. The coffee bean is a high end product that country people generally don’t drink. True Ethiopian coffee is as good as any in the world, including Milan!


The Ethiopians can rightly claim credit for discovering coffee after noticing that the goats that ate the leaves and beans of the kaffa bush were quite stimulated. Arab traders developed a taste for it as they plied trade routes to Ethiopia from the Red Sea, and the rest is history.


Group photo of Community Animal Health Worker trainees on the first day of their two week session, standing in the photo are COL (Dr.) COL Floyd on the left and Dr. Kassa Bayou of FINTRAC/USAID on the right. The two principal trainers are also present, Kabete in the red shirt on the middle of the back row, standing, and Eyasu kneeling on the front row to the right with a conference case in front of him.


In southern Ethiopia the men of the Benna tribe who are the primary group we are training as CAHWs in this session, usually carry a “berkuta” (sp?). This is a carved wooden stool used to sit upon or to rest one’s head upon, which is surprisingly comfortable!

Update from Ethiopia - November 22, 2008

The CAHW’s will be issued kits of equipment for them to train on. Our soldiers from the 354th CA Functional Specialty Team and the 2/18th Field Artillery spent a day gathering the equipment into plastic boxes to issue to the students when they arrive.

Update from Ethiopia - November 21, 2008

Skin diseases are among the most common in Africa. This cow was diagnosed based on the appearance of the skin as having streptotrichosis, or an infection with an organism named Dermatophilus congolensis and often associated with tick infections such as the tick Amblyoma. This animal has the typical lesions of this skin infection and is infected with several ticks, including one which is engorged with blood.


Dr. Kassa Bayou identified these ticks in his hand as belonging to the Amblyoma species, the type tick which may carry Cowdria ruminantium, an organism that can cause a serious illness in cattle called “heartwater.” It is also associated with skin infections with the organism Dermatophilus congolensis.


To be able to conduct a large practical exercise for the Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW’s, commonly called “cows”) being trained in this VETCAP, the Ministry of Agriculture trainers had to negotiate with the local village chief, an elected official, to all us to work in his area and to promote the people brining their animals to a central facility to allow us to conduct a mass vaccination campaign. The village chief met with us with one of his children, and was happy to facilitate this training since it benefitted his people through providing vaccinations for blackleg and deworming injections with ivermectin at no cost to them.


We are doing this training in the Benna-Tse May “Wareda,” a political division roughly equivalent to a county in the U.S. The map sketches out where CAHW’s are now located in local “Kabele’s,” roughly equivalent to a township or municipality.


Our soldiers interacted very well with the Ethiopians. SGT Tom York liked to show the children hand-held video games and had a great time with them; he also had a hard time getting his hand-held game boy back. And yes, that’s REALLY his name. He is a distant relative of THE Sergeant Alvin York of WWI fame, played by Gary Cooper in the movie by the same name and which this Sergeant York amazingly had never seen!

Update from Ethiopia - November 20, 2008

Interesting expressions can be found the world over. This one was on one of the offices at the Ministry of Agriculture where the training for Community Animal Health Workers took place. Unfortunately, we were unable to discuss the meaning of it and how they interpreted its message.


Cattle in southern Ethiopia are much like those in other parts of Africa, but we did see some “wattle” cattle (note the pendulous skin under the cow’s throat) there that we had not seen elsewhere.


Cattle graze the open lands here so their owners have the same dilemma facing that American cattlemen to identify them. In southern Ethiopia ear “notching” and skin “carving” systems are often used in most creative ways to identify cattle. This is an interesting contrast to the U.S. where a major effort on the part of the beef industry has been targeted at eliminating hot iron brands as a means of ID in order to reduce the damage to hides they cause. The hides of these cattle in Ethiopia are clearly damaged, and it does cause a reduction in their value. Part of this CAHW training is targeted at improving hide quality, particularly in goats whose skins provide leather for export markets which have been important to the Ethiopian economy. The primary damage to goat hides appears to be caused by external parasites, not ID systems such as those in these cattle.

Update - November 18, 2008

Lantana plants such as these responsible for a condition called photosensitization in the cattle who consume it. This and other types of plants cause liver damage in the animal. The damaged liver is then unable to remove pigments absorbed from green plants in the animal’s diet, thus leaving the pigments its body.


The “photodynamic” pigments absorbed through the GI system from ingested green plants reach the skin and are activated by energy from the sun, thus causing serious “burns.”


The skin of cattle afflicted with photosensitization can heal if the liver damage is not too severe, but the previously affected areas can still be seen.


Man-made bee hives placed in acacia trees facilitate harvesting of honey.


Vaccines against anthrax (caused by Bacillus anthracis) and blackleg (caused by Clostridium bacteria) were stored without refrigeration in the classroom we were assigned to use. In the interest of safety, we removed them. These vaccines were produced in Ethiopia but we were unable to determine any information about what particular species of Clostridium the blackleg contained, or any specific information on the anthrax vaccine.


A few broken anthrax vaccine bottles were in the classroom. We were assured that this was a killed vaccine, meaning that it contained no live Bacillus organisms, but we were insistent that they be removed before the classes began.

Travel to Key Afer, Ethiopia to conduct Community Animal Health Worker training - November 17, 2008

The donkeys we encounter on this two-day journey may carry any load, such as moringa leaves from the Moringa Oleifera tree. This is a drought resistant tree that has a massive amount of nutritional value for humans compacted to its leaves and roots.

Update from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - November 14 and 15, 2008

Physical exam on pets at US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa had been asked to do this by Embassy, so COL Jim Floyd and Corporal Michael Steiskal, US Army Veterinary Corps attended to a few of the dogs and cats owned by US personnel.

Commander Dave Sexton of the Country Coordinating Element of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa supervises the examination of “Emma” during this courtesy “PETCAP” as we called it.

Update from Djibouti & Ethiopia

November 11, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Veterans & Armistice Day 2008 from the Horn of Africa. We are preparing for our last VETCAP mission, this one to Ethiopia so this will likely be my last message with any information to speak of.

Since returning from Uganda, the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade Functional Specialty Team has been joined by a third U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Officer, MAJ April Ulmer. She is overlapping with us before CPT Coenen and I depart on the "Rotator" flight from Djibouti on December 11, one month from today. MAJ Ulmer came from her post in Aviano, Italy and CPT Coenen will return to her station in Hawaii. MAJ Mickey Moppin is the fourth Veterinary Corps Officer here at Camp Lemonier, serving with the Surgeon's Cell. Mickey has the distinction of being the first MVPH (Master of Veterinary Public Health) graduate from the NCSU CVM. Dr. Jay Levine deserves much credit for starting and sustaining that program that is proving its value by producing graduates like Mickey.

The four of us occasionally convene "official Veterinary Corps Officers' Calls" at the "11 Degrees North" (our Djiboutian latitude) as pictured. NOTE: official "beer cards" assure moderate alcohol consumption here on Camp Lemonier!

Lately we have expanded our scope of work. On November 3 CPT Coenen was called to consult on a Military Working Dog (MWD) "Ben" who was depressed and off feed. Ben is a seven year old bomb detector dog who came here from Japan. He has been with only two handlers during his career, the current Sailor having been with him over three years. After a physical exam, abdominal radiograph, abdominal ultrasound, and needle tap of his abdomen it was determined that he was bleeding into his abdomen and needed surgery soon.

The Emergency Medical Facility allowed surgery to be conducted there, with Drs. Coenen and Moppin scrubbing in. There was a tumor on Ben's spleen which led to a total splenectomy and as is routinely done with MWD's undergoing belly surgery, a gastropexy ("stomach tack") to prevent future problems with bloat.

By evening Ben had recovered from general anesthesia but with an attitude, as the picture gives evidence. With luck he will be evacuated from the theater soon to recover and hopefully return to duty with no metastasis of the tumor. Ben's handler had been hoping to retire him in the near future and to adopt him into a well-earned retirement. CPT Coenen, MAJ Moppin and MAJ Ulmer did a great job on this. MWD's represent an investment of many thousands of dollars and countless hours of training time. This level of care keeps them going as part of the force.

Even though the weather has been milder and this past week it rained heavily in Djibouti (a RARE event), the days are still hot.

The black flag flying at Camp Lemonier means the heat index is too high for vigorous exertion or exercise. Even in cooler times of the year the humidity is high and the peak daily temperature gets > 90 degrees F; in the hottest times of the year 120 F is normal.

Posters on Camp Lemonier remind all assigned to take their malaria preventative medications as prescribed.

I take mefloquine hydrochloride once a week as do most serving here. Malaria is less prevalent here than in the other countries we have worked in but with the recent rains we expect to see a rise in the Djiboutian mosquito population and an increase in the risk.

The guidance from the Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa is posted for all to see.

Admiral Greene's guidance emphasizes that we are "Helping Africans Solve African Challenges" through the "3 D's": Diplomacy, Development, and Defense partnerships to increase Security, improve Stability, and strengthen Sovereignty in the Horn of Africa.

Our VETCAP projects are good examples of this guidance in action. The projects are coordinated with the Embassies / Department of State (= Diplomacy), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (= Development), and conducted by the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, Functional Specialty Team (= Defense).

USAID partners with Non Government Organizations as much as possible, such as on animal health initiatives evidenced by the poster promoting camel vaccinations and health care that we saw on our pre-deployment site survey (PDSS) for the next VETCAP in southwest Ethiopia to start later this week.

The Ethiopian VETCAP will be a change from our previous ones elsewhere. Rather than treating animals we will be training 28 new Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW's, called "cows") in Key Afer, a remote town whose name translates into "Red Earth." We traveled there on October 26th with LTC Wyesa Dinka, our Ethiopian Liaison Officer to meet with the pastoralist association officials who will conduct the training with our assistance.

The classes will be held between November 23rd and December 5th. It will be a challenge because these are adult learners, most will be of low literacy, and at least four languages will be involved: Ahmaric, the Ethiopian national tongue; Benna, the local dialect; a second local dialect spoken by a couple of the trainees; and English. The curriculum is a standard one which has been established by the government. We will emphasize as much hands-on training as possible. On our survey trip to this area we visited a local clinic run by Americans Drs. Trent and Tabby Cox, both veterinarians who graduated from Texas A&M and who have trained CAHW's at their clinic. They have been in this area of Ethiopia for seven years as missionaries with the Christian Veterinary Mission.

The photos show some of the CAHW's they trained spraying goats and cattle for ticks. Their clinic has the only cattle head gate that I have seen in Africa, made by Priefert from Mount Pleasant, Texas. Ticks get much attention from a medical viewpoint because they are so prevalent in East Africa and bring along with them infections that seriously affect livestock production.

The Cox's treated us to a delicious Benna meal of greens, potatoes and maize/sorghum griddle cakes, accompanied by Ethiopian coffee.

The greens are leaves of the moringa tree and are very nutritious, a source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium. http://www.treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa Our hosts cooked them with some potatoes and they tasted much like collard greens to this Louisiana native. The bread was as close to southern corn bread that I have had in six months, and along with the husk coffee (made from the covering of the coffee bean which was discovered in Ethiopia) and freshly ground pepper paste, it comprised the best meal I have had in Africa.

Our trip back to Addis Ababa from Key Afer proved the old saying from Pliny the Elder (I think): ex africa semper aliquid novi, or "out of Africa, something always new" .... certainly new to us, some newer than others:

calves still nursing cows way past weaning time (happens even in North Carolina!)....

"wonkay" (spelled phonetically) sheep on the road with their white bodies and colored, mostly black heads ....

cylindrical "barrels" high up in trees that turn out to be placed there for bee keeping

LOTS of water flowing beside and across roads causing lots of erosion ....

and spectacular morning views in Arba Minch ("Forty Springs") of forest and lakes hundreds of feet below and miles beyond. We returned to Djibouti on Halloween and began planning the final stages of the VETCAP.

As a final shot I'll send some photos of the outstanding group of Soldiers and Sailors that I have been working with.

The group photo was taken the night we said goodbye to LCDR Steve Kummeth (second full row, center), commonly called "Beaker" before he redeployed to the U.S. The quality of my comrades is exemplified by the guy standing to my left, at the right end of the first full row. Sergeant First Class Sean Berk is an Army Reservist who started his Army career on active duty as a tanker and deployed in the Balkans on OPERATION JOINT GUARD in 1997. He later joined the Army Reserve and became involved with Civil Affairs. When deployed to Iraq his vehicle was hit with an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and he suffered some hearing loss.

In Uganda he was the Operations NCO for our VETCAP there and took his turn working the cattle, as you see him framed between Ankole horns in the photo. He's a great soldier and is the mission commander for the Ethiopia VETCAP. They just let me go along for window dressing. Having somebody with little hair, and what there is of that being gray, lends the appearance of gravitas to the mission even if it isn't deserved.

The last photo is of my "Retirement ceremony."

The day I turned 60 in September was when I would have started drawing my Army retirement pay, but since I was on already on the payroll, that will have to wait. Suffice it so say it was an honor to pass that milestone in the company of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. Only Soldiers are in this photo but we proudly serve with all the rest.

The Ethiopia CAHW Training VETCAP is 13 Nov – 8 Dec. CPT Amanda Coenen and I get on the "Rotator" flight for the U.S. one month from today, Dec 11, 2008.

See ya'll soon - all the best!

Jim Floyd, DVM
COL, VC, USAR (Ret)

Kampala, Uganda - October 16, 2008

Dear Family & Friends:

We have completed our month-long VETCAP (Veterinary Civic Action Project) at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Gulu & Umuru Districts and are now in Kampala awaiting transport back to Camp Lemonier, Djibouti. We worked at 41 sites over 20 treatment days in this, the third VETCAP in northern Uganda this year, the 1st in Jan-Feb and the 2nd in Mar-Apr. The response to the cattle treatments at the initial missions was excellent based on a sampling of weight gains estimated by heart girth measurements.

Our U.S. military team from the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa was joined by faculty and students from the veterinary school at Makerere University and Veterinary Officers from the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry & Fisheries. We treated a total of 78,604 animals including 23,903 cattle (sleeping sickness prophylaxis, deworming and external parasite treatment), 23,394 poultry (individual birds vaccinated against New Castle Disease Virus, primarily chickens but also many ducks), 14,061 goats & sheep (deworming and external parasite treatment), and 2,400 pigs (dewormed as individuals). We also vaccinated about 4,000 dogs for rabies.

CPT Amanda Coenen and I were the two U.S. Army Veterinary Corps officers on this VETCAP. We concentrated on preparing the pharmaceuticals at our two sites, Amanda with "Team A" and I with "Team B." Both of us focused on cattle since that was the most labor-intensive part of the work at each site, involving herding and physically dealing with animals ranging in size from less than 50 kg up to >500 kg, many being Ankole cattle with LARGE horns.


There was a surprisingly large number of intact males. Bulls are used as plow animals and relatively few are castrated. The "cattle crushes" in which the treatments were administered were constructed at each site by the villagers in the IDP camps from local materials, primarily logs and limbs from trees held together with nails, rope, and in some cases bark. It goes without saying that this was a challenge.


This area in northern Uganda has been contested between the Ugandan Peoples Defense Forces and the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. The LRA is still active in the Southern Sudan and neighboring countries; they have abducted thousands of children as "child soldiers," causing the rural populace to move into IDP camps so that the UPDF could protect them. In addition to armed attacks, ambushes and raids, during the conflict mines were used by both sides, resulting in the loss of life and limbs by the people.



Many of the people are now moving back into their former homes and the population of domestic animals is increasing, but the IDP camps still have many people in residence.

I will attempt to attach a few pictures but the number will be restricted because of internet limitations until we return to our base in the Horn of Africa.

All the best!

Jim

Countdown in North Uganda

Dear Family and Friends:

We have 9 mission days to go, over the half-way point on the Gulu, Uganda VETCAP. Today is the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan so we are not working; make up for it by working this coming Saturday. Yesterday our team processed 1562 cattle and hundreds of goats/sheep and poultry in Lalogi. The other team did about half that number of cattle, but it all depends on how many the people bring at each site and how efficient we can get them through the villager-constucted working facility.


This is a picture of Stella, one of the vet students from Makerere University working with us. She was holding her own during a lively discussion during a break.


The animal in the "crush"/chute looks about like I felt yesterday after too much sun and too many trips up and back along its length. Not exactly like a Temple Grandin-designed working chute in a western Kansas feed yard, to say the least! And this is one of the better ones we have used.

Hope the pictures get through. Internet connection is dicey here; have to use a cell phone connection and purchased air time minutes.

All the best! Things going well here and the cattle and other animals have really benefitted from the U.S. efforts provided through USAID, the U.S Embassy and the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.

I can't respond to all email messages because of the iffey connection but hope you are getting the pictures and messages as I can get them out.

Jim