Camlobe
RAF Halton had the previously mentioned hospital (ahh, nurses)
My only visit to the hospital was in 1959 — read on.....
Following my arrival home from Gan in December 1958, early the following year (1959) whilst stationed at R.A.F. Abingdon I was contacted by the station medical centre and told that I had to attend the R.A.F. Hospital at Halton for a medical examination; no reason was given and I was provided with a letter for me to report to the Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine at Halton. As it specialised in tropical medicine I suspected it was something to do with my recent service in the Far East, but otherwise I was puzzled by the need for the appointment.
Accordingly I attended the hospital, had a blood sample taken and was given a general medical examination. I was told I would be summoned back for further examination if any abnormalities were found — in the event about a month later I was sent for by the MO at R.A.F. Abingdon who told me everything was all clear and that I was not infected, only then was I told that there had been a scare that a case of Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis) had been diagnosed in a servicemen who’d been stationed at Gan with the result that I and others who’d served at Gan had had to be screened for possible infection.
Until then I’d no real knowledge about the disease, although I seem to recall that the walls of the waiting area at the Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine at Halton were adorned with gory photos of sufferers who exhibited the typical symptoms of the disease with gross deformities of the limbs and in men hugely enlarged Genitals (mainly the scrotum).
It is only relatively recently with the potential for research via the internet that I found that the R.A.F. had a real cause for concern about the health of airmen returning from Gan as an early 1950’s United Nations (WHO) study based on a survey of the southern atolls of the Maldives, including Addu Atoll where Gan is located, showed that Filariasis (Elephantiasis) was
endemic in all the villages (islands) of Addu Atoll with a filarial infection rate in the population of 14.1%.
United Nations (WHO) Addu Atoll Study
The introduction to the UN (WHO) research paper states:
“Filariasis is an important public-health problem in the Maldive Islands. The World Health Organization received a request through the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for technical assistance in the eradication of the disease. To comply with this request, the decision was taken by the WHO to appoint a consultant on a short-term assignment to study the problem and to submit recommendations for the control of the disease. The author was appointed as the WHO Filariasis Consultant and, with the assistance of Dr. M. I. Mathew and Mr. M. A. U. Menon, carried out investigations during January to March 1951 on Filariasis in the Maldives.”
Description of the Disease (from WHO Website)
“Lymphatic filariasis is infection with the filarial worms, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi or B. timori. These parasites are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito and develop into adult worms in the lymphatic vessels, causing severe damage and swelling (lymphoedema). Elephantiasis, a painful disfiguring swelling of the legs and genital organs – is a classic sign of late-stage disease.”
...and from GSK who make the anti-parasitic drug Albendazole:
Lymphatic filariasis, considered globally as a Neglected Tropical Disease, is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms. The adult worms only live in the human lymph system. The lymph system maintains the body's fluid balance and fights infections. Lymphatic filariasis is spread from person to person by mosquitoes.
People with the disease can suffer from lymphedema and elephantiasis and in men, swelling of the scrotum, called hydrocele. Lymphatic filariasis is a leading cause of permanent disability worldwide. Communities frequently shun and reject women and men disfigured by the disease. Affected people frequently are unable to work because of their disability, and this harms their families and their communities.
The following photograph is courtesy of GlaxoSmithKline who make the drug Albendazole an anti-parasitic drug that plays a role in helping stop the transmission of this disease.
