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Health Related Notices
Parasites - Bile Duct Cancers
This in from Gail Blummer, Veterans advocate. Worth the time to read.
I am writing to inform all Vietnam veterans about a potential health risk that they may have been exposed to while serving in Vietnam: the little-known danger from parasites.
My husband, who was otherwise healthy, passed away on January 20, 2006, from cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the bile duct of the liver. It is very rare in the United States, but very prevalent in Vietnam and surrounding countries. There are two known causes of this type of cancer: from contracting hepatitis C and from ingesting a parasite from the water supply in Vietnam. My husband did not have hepatitis C; therefore, it was determined that his cancer derived from a parasite. I have received official notification from the VA that his death was service related, which is not something the VA determines without an overwhelming amount of evidence.
This cancer does not manifest itself until later in life, when you are between 60 and 70 years old. Once the symptoms occur, which usually include jaundice, it is very difficult to treat or beat. My husband was 58 years old when he passed away.
If he had been informed that there was a possibility that he could have ingested a parasite while serving in Vietnam, he would have taken precautions to have his bile ducts examined, possibly extending his life. The parasite is long gone, but it left behind damaged cells, which developed into cancerous tumors in the bile ducts.
If you spent time in Southeast Asia and are having gastrointestinal issues for no apparent reason, please have your physician check for damage within the bile ducts. It may save your life.
The following is a comment from a retired Army Major who spent 3 tours in Vietnam – he sent the following comment after reading the above information that was sent to him earlier:
"I had similar problems while in my 40's. I had, had diarrhea for like ever and specifically since time Nam. In 1994 I finally went to a gastrologist and luckily he had been a DR in SE Asia. I had parasites that took almost 2 months of putrid tasting meds to kill. they had taken up residence in my intestines and were happy until old wise DR came on the scene"
For further information:
Milk Consumption Vietnam 65-72 Agent Orange
This article was forwarded along to us from our friends of the MRFA...
This information has not been validated for accuracy... still we felt it would be worthwhile to post for your information.
If you drank milk in 'Nam between 1965 and 1972 you ingested Agent Orange and a variety of other herbicide residues.
As you may know, the Foremost Milk Company (now out of business in the US) based in Los Angeles held the DOD contract for the US military's milk supply in So'east Asia. Before and after shipping packaged 'finished milk' in its distinctive orange/white containers, Foremost shipped a milk concentrate to 'Nam which was to be mixed with water.
Unfortunately the water used was taken from the Saigon River which, DOD belatedly learned, was infested with
herbicide drainage. Foremost USA went defunct several years ago but Foremost Vietnam is still in operation.
Milk became an essential export by the USG to Vietnam after 1967 after doctors in the States discovered they were treating large numbers of Vietnam vets suffering from gastroenteritis and other colon inflammatory illnesses due to lack of the enzyme used by the intestines to digest milk. If a person continues to drink milk their body will continue to produce the enzyme (kind of like a wet nurse who continues to manufacture breast milk for decades after giving birth as
long as her milk continues to be suckled.)
However, if a person stops drinking milk their body stops producing the enzyme. Because milk was not as available in 'Nam during America's early deployment thousands of Americans assigned to Vietnam gradually stopped producing the enzyme... but when they returned back to The World the first thing they consumed in large quantities was milk... which made them sick because they could no longer adequately digest it.
As a result, Foremost was contracted to ensure there was always a large supply of milk for GI's to consume. Unfortunately, the high demand resulted in its Vietnam production being mixed with tainted water.
Hence, many American's who served in Vietnam but had no direct contact with herbicide distribution or deployment contracted the chemicals through the milk they drank.
REFERENCES:
1. Herbicides Used in Vietnam
2. Foremost Vietnam
MESSAGE BOARD where information was originally posted
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