NIGERIA: OFR P3 ILLNESSES AND ACCIDENTAL DEATHS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 003081

SIPDIS


AF: PDAS BELLAMY AND DAS PERRY
AF/W FOR BOOTH
AF/RA FOR BITTRICK


E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2011
TAGS: PREL MASS MARR NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: OFR P3 ILLNESSES AND ACCIDENTAL DEATHS

Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter; Reasons 1.5 (a).



1. (C) SUMMARY: A spate of illnesses and accidents have left
two OFR trainers dead, and seven afflicted by malaria (one
soldier with malaria subsequently died, but from a condition
not necessarily connected with the malaria). The Forward
Surgical Team, under the direction of the Battalion
Commander, is investigating the possible causes of seven
confirmed cases of malaria. While the details of these cases
have been reported in other channels, we repeat them for the
Department's information. END SUMMARY.


====================================
LIGHT ANTITANK WEAPON RANGE ACCIDENT
====================================



2. (C) On November 1, during LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon)
training with the 20th battalion, Serti, a LAW misfired. A
subsequent effort by three soldiers to destroy the misfired
weapon led to a premature detonation, with the soldiers in
close proximity.



3. (C) The three wounded soldiers were evacuated by
helicopter to Abuja for treatment by the Forward Surgical
Team (FST). No host nation personnel were injured in the
incident. The most seriously injured was SSG Adam Harding,
who sustained injuries to his carotid artery and was in
respiratory distress. He was stabilized and placed on a
ventilator. Harding was then evacuated to Landstuhl Army
Medical Center via a contracted medical-evacuation flight.
Despite these efforts, Harding's condition deteriorated. He
died on November 4. In the same incident, SSG Joseph B. Smith
was seriously injured, sustaining what appeared to be right
side neurological deficit, and shrapnel wounds to the face,
neck, left hand, lower legs, chest, and abdomen. Smith also
was evacuated to Landstuhl. Surgery was successfully
completed, and Smith was evacuated to the U.S. on November

10. The prospect for his full recovery is unknown. SSG
Joseph A. Vollenberg received superficial wounds to his face
and neck. Vollenberg was evacuated via a commercial airline
to his home station where he was treated on an outpatient
basis. He is expected to recover fully.


=============
ROAD ACCIDENT
=============



4. (C) On November 7, two U.S. soldiers and a Nigerian
civilian PAE contract driver, while traveling in convoy from
Abuja to Kachia in Kaduna State, were injured in a
single-vehicle accident. The vehicle veered out of control
on a bad section of road, overturning in a ditch at a high
rate of speed. Injured were SFC Laurance Morgan, who
suffered a head laceration and dislocated right shoulder, and
SSG Pierre LaGuerre, who sustained a fractured right leg, a
laceration to the right leg, an unstable left knee, and a
bruised right lung. The PAE driver sustained hip and back
injuries. All three were evacuated to the FST in Abuja via
helicopter. Although none of the injuries was life
threatening, the soldiers were evacuated to Landstuhl as a
precautionary measure, and the driver was transferred to a
local medical facility.


========================
MYSTERIOUS MALARIA CASES
========================



5. (C) On November 13, during a planned stop at Ascension
Island while en route to Ft. Bragg from Nigeria, SSG Terry
Kentcy was diagnosed with Falciparum malaria. Medical
personnel decided to continue movement of Kentcy to Roosevelt
Roads Naval Base, Puerto Rico. Upon arrival at Roosevelt
Roads, he was moved to the Veterans Administration (VA)
hospital in Santiago, PR. Kentcy was stabilized and
reportedly recovering satisfactorily. However, during the
early morning hours of November 16, Kentcy began experiencing
chest pains and breathing difficulties. Kentcy went into
cardiac arrest shortly thereafter and medical personnel were
unable to revive him. The autopsy indicates Kentcy died of a
pulmonary embolism. It is unclear but unlikely that Kency's
death was directly connected to malaria.



6. (C) SFC Jody Free was diagnosed with cerebral malaria by
the FST. He was evacuated on November 13 to Landstuhl. Prior
to boarding the aircraft, Free slipped into a coma and was
placed on life support. While under treatment in Germany,
Free contracted pneumonia and was placed on dialysis. On
November 28, Free was evacuated to the United States. Our
last reports indicate that he was off dialysis, conscious,
lucid, and rapidly recovering.

7. (C) There have been five other cases of malaria among
soldiers participating in OFR.



8. (C) COMMENT: From an operational and political
perspective, OFR III has been a resounding success,
characterized by tremendous support from the Nigerian Army
and Ministry of Defense. This is in marked contrast to the
lack of bilateral cooperation in OFR Phase I. This success,
however, has been dampened by the tragic accidents and
illnesses described above. The seven malaria cases are
troubling, particularly when compared to Phase I, which had
none (DATT COMMENT: Phase I personnel resided in hotels, not
tents. END DATT COMMENT). FST personnel are investigating
the causes, including the possibility of: a strain of
resistant malaria; degraded anti-malarial medication; or,
soldiers not taking their medication. The third possibility
appears unlikely, as initial reports from unit medics
indicate full compliance with the prescribed medical regimen.



9. (C) COMMENT CONT: During Phase I, the trainers (and FOB
personnel) lived in hotels, and were often indoors at dawn
and dusk, when the possibility of contracting malaria
significantly increases. However, for reasons of force
protection, the trainers did not use hotels for Phase III.
Thus, Phase III trainers have lived in open-air camps, and
were significantly more susceptible to malaria-bearing
mosquitoes. END COMMENT.
Jeter