Leptospirosis and malaria beign treated for soldiers after Haiti aid

Soldier who helped in Haiti gets rare bacterial disease
By RAY REYES The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 24, 2010


TAMPA - It started with a headache and a painful sensitivity to light.

Next was a 105-degree fever.

Then it got worse for U.S. Army Warrant Officer Christopher Lust, who was in Haiti three weeks ago aiding relief efforts when he contracted a rare bacterial infection that also caused him to tremble violently and vomit blood.

"Imagine having a fever and cold shakes," Lust said from his room at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa. "But it was 50 to 60 times worse. It was like shaking in minus 15-degree weather."

What happened to Lust highlights a concern shared by government, military and health officials: the spread of contagious diseases in the aftermath of natural disasters. Since the Jan. 12 quake, with thousands of survivors living in tent cities without proper sanitation, the risk of viral or bacterial infections is high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A handful of soldiers and military personnel who had deployed to Haiti are being treated for malaria, said Jose Ruiz, spokesman for U.S. Southern Command, a joint military operation based in Miami.

What struck Lust is known as leptospirosis, a bacterial disease caused by exposure to water contaminated with animal urine. It is rarely fatal, but if untreated, the infection can cause kidney damage, inflammation of the brain and liver failure.

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Soldier who helped in Haiti gets rare bacterial disease