joel payne

Read and Heed !!


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: "dal044-fastread" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 11:47:58 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Council 44 Communiqué - International Crew ALERT!!



ALPA: The Pilots Union




Fellow Council 44 Pilot

We have experienced our first confirmed case of malignant malaria. One of our pilots has been diagnosed with plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous of the four forms of malaria, which he apparently contracted while on a layover in DKR. We bring this to your immediate attention because this disease can be both career ending and life threatening in its most malevolent form, and because you must take the threat seriously. We also believe that as a group and as a company we have not taken adequate steps to educate our people working amidst this threat nor given them the proper tools to avoid and combat infection. In short, all parties: the company, ALPA, and the line pilot have been far too cavalier about a disease which kills millions of people every year. This must and will change and we intend to work with the company to produce the best infectious disease program in the industry.

So what can you do NOW to protect yourself? The following is a cut and paste from the CDC Website entitled “Traveler’s Health. We are also enclosing a link to the website where you can type in your country of destination and read about precautions you ought to be taking while traveling to that country. Until Delta and ALPA can produce a better program you should make yourself aware.

Prevent Insect Bites

1. Many diseases, like malaria and dengue, are spread through insect bites. One of the best protections is to prevent insect bites by:

2. Using insect repellent (bug spray) with 30%-50% DEET. Picaridin, available in 7% and 15% concentrations, needs more frequent application. There is less information available on how effective picaridin is at protecting against all of the types of mosquitoes that transmit malaria.

3. Wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a hat outdoors.

4. Remaining indoors in a screened or air-conditioned area during the peak biting period for malaria (dusk and dawn). Sleeping in beds covered by nets treated with permethrin, if not sleeping in an air-conditioned or well-screened room.

5. Spraying rooms with products effective against flying insects, such as those containing pyrethroid.

The website also gives information about various malarial prophylactics available for your use and other health cautions concerning the country you intend to visit. This is the website you should visit: (click) Traveler’s Health CDC for more information about Malaria (click)

Here is information about: (click to view) Accra, Dakar, Lagos ,

That website also contains this warning: Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. If you become ill with a fever or flu-like illness either while traveling in a malaria-risk area or after you return home (for up to 1 year), you should seek immediate medical attention and should tell the physician your travel history. We have had several pilots sickened with malaria like symptoms but were unable to confirm malaria. They were sick for a couple of weeks.

If you do become ill after flying to one of these high risk places, follow the CDC’s advice in seeking medical attention. You should also contact ALPA (one of your reps or 1-800-USA-ALPA) and your Chief Pilot to get the ball rolling on a workman’s compensation claim.

There are several ALPA Committee Chairman already in contact with airlines from around the world to find out more about how they protect their crew members. We will be aggressively working with Flight Operations, the MEC Administration, and the CDC to find out the most effective way to avoid and combat these diseases. Your MEC will be briefed by CDC experts at our MEC Meeting next week. We know Flight Ops wants to protect their crew members and creating a world class information and protection program is our combined goal.

Fraternally,

Tim, Gary, Bill, Steve

Here is a personal account of the pilot who spent time in the hospital as a result of his sickness. As we have said there have been several cases of malaria like symptoms however, this is the first case. Please read this and proceed with caution!



I flew my second rotation to Ghana from ____ Jan 2009. I had been there for the first time in early Dec. My latest rotation was to Dakar and Cape Town which brought me home on **__ Jan.

The night I returned from Dakar on __ Jan, I remember waking up with lower back pain. I was able to return to sleep. The next day I was unusually fatigued (more so than from a normal 8 day rotation) and slept off-and-on throughout the day despite trying to stay awake in an effort to adjust to eastern time zone. I made it to bed early the next night and woke up once again with extreme discomfort in my lower back. This time I knew it was more significant as the rest of my body was starting to ache. I was suspecting the flu now. That morning I had a fever of 100 and started planning on a doctor visit.

Within a few hours, I was feeling even more flush and left my wife behind with the kids and drove myself to the local "Quick Care" clinic. On the way, I had my first thoughts of possible Malaria. I advised the medical attendants of my travels to Africa as the Delta Theater guide recommends. At this point I was very much hoping that I had the flu. They tested me for the flu which came back negative. The doctor was not overly concerned as he had several "flu" patients that did not test positive, citing "strains" of the flu that were undetectable and common place. I emphasized my concern for Malaria. I had a fever of 102.6 at this time. They said with confidence that I was obviously dehydrated, my white blood cells were low indicating a viral infection and I was more than likely suffering from the flu. Two hours and an I.V. later, the doctor discharged me with a prescription for pain medicine. During this time I began experiencing dizziness. I had to call my father to drive me home.

That evening I reached a fever of 104 and my wife checked me multiple times throughout the early morning. My fever never dropped below 103. By the morning, I could hardly turn or move my neck. My back was throbbing and sometimes spastic with pain. She took me to the hospital ER and advised them of my travels to Africa. I received a much different response this time. I was isolated in an "infectious" area and blood (and just about every other bodily fluid) samples were taken.

Within an hour, the local lab said that I had "swimmers" in my cells. i.e, I had uninvited guest in my red blood cells. Word to the wise, hospitals in __________ do not see Malaria often and they really didn't know what to do. The staff consulted with an infectious disease team of doctors from the CDC while they decided on a course of meds...the hospital's pharmacy did not have them in stock. It was over 9 hours later before I received a dose of medicine to actually combat the Malaria. It was now over 48 hours from the time I first recognized my initial symptoms of back pain and actually receiving treatment. Later, we learned that the first 48 hours is most imperative for immediate diagnosis and treatment to avoid death... especially with the Falciparum strain of malaria. Unfortunately, I was way behind the power curve and the parasites got a significant jump-start on my body. This lead to more severe symptoms over the next 3-4 days than is normally expected.

For the next 6 days at the hospital, I battled this disease with bouts of severe nausea, occasional vomiting, cycles of fever spikes ranging from 103 to 104 with associated uncontrollable shivering...every 3 to 4 hours, daily blood samples/tests, a cocktail of potent medicines (both oral and intravenous), ringing in my ears (side effect of Quinine), excruciating back, neck and head aches, constant interruption of sleep and a new case of pneumonia. It was day 5 before the strain was identified by a "state" lab as Falciparum.

Four days after leaving the hospital, I am still extremely fatigued and trying to stomach 3 different medicines. Is the parasite gone? I won't know until we go draw blood again. Delta has a CDC consultant whom I'm scheduled to see this Friday.

All the while, I could reflect on the 3 or 4 total mosquitoes that I observed on my 2nd layover in Ghana. One time at our hotel, not outside at the pool (where you might actually expect them and be prepared with long shirt/pants and Deet) but actually at an unsuspecting moment inside at the bar - while relaxing in my shorts. The other "skeeter" sighting was upon departure while climbing out, West bound. Unfortunately, this one did a couple of high speed passes and was never seen again. Don't ask me what the life expectancy of a mosquito is at a pressure altitude of 7,500. He may have made it long enough to chew on me.

Lesson Learned: despite the seemingly customary approach by every crew that I flew with; not to use anti malaria medicine or even wear Deet, do something! They are out there, they are insidious and they hurt you.

It was a scary week for my family, seeing me curled up in the fetal position for several days. I won't let it happen again.

fedupbusdriver

All I can say is WOW! Thanks for posting.