By Capt. Lauri Turpin, USAF Reserve

Although there are many personal, cultural and military differences among people treated by the doctors and nurses of the CIOMR, there is one thing that is always the same; the patients are vulnerable to the same injuries and conditions — and all of them need effective treatment. That’s why of all the topics presented in CIOMR are crucial — the information on medical treatments and technologies could not only introduce new technologies and techniques, they could potentially save the life of someone serving on the battlefield.

The mission of the CIOMR is to establish close relationships with medical reserve personnel and services within the Alliance, studying and discussing subjects of military and medical importance, and promoting effective cooperation between the medical corps of the international armed services.

In today’s symposium, medical professionals made presentations on such topics as hemorrhage control, skin infections, vaccination techniques and the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Dr. Stephan Hofmeister, of the German Navy Reserves, spoke about the importance of prevention of epidemics in deployed members. Specifically, he addressed the prevention of a serious skin infection - Zoonatic Cutaneous Leishmaniosis (ZCL), in service members stationed in Afghanistan, ZCL is a progressive infection of the skin, which causes painful lesions. The lesions may spread into one another to form one large lesion. There is also a danger of secondary bacterial infection.

“In 2005, 21 percent of the Dutch (NLD) main forces suffered from ZCL. This is significant because the treatment of this condition is very difficult and expensive with many side effects,” Hofmeister said. “In fact, the treatment is so difficult that you usually have to take the soldiers out of theatre.”

The ramifications of removing 21 percent of forces in theatre are obvious. Therefore, the epidemic of ZCL in the NLD in 2005 prompted a significant response from medical experts.

“Ideally, we would have an effective treatment, but for ZCL this is not yet the case,” Hofmeister said. “Treatment remains difficult and expensive. Treatment is not the answer, prevention is the answer.”

The disease is transmitted from rodents to sandflies and then to humans, so the goal of the prevention program was to remove the pathway of exposure. During construction at Camp Marmal in Afghanistan, new policies were implemented, such as removing the upper layer of soil around the base in order to prevent the rodents from building burrows. The camp was constructed within high stone walls to prevent infestation of the sandflies. The German team also deployed hygiene security guards who provided repeated instructions on prevention of disease.

“In 2005, there were more than 800 cases of ZCL in the area near Camp Marmal. In 2006 and 2007 together, there was just one case. This is clearly a huge success,” Hofmeister said.

The success of the Camp Marmal program is just one example of how the cross-cultural symposium benefits all members of participating nations.

“CIOMR has benefitted us by providing insight into the capabilities of our NATO partners and, in turn, has increased our knowledge of our interoperability and our readiness to go to war together,” said Colonel David Johnson, CIOMR delegate US First Aid Committee.