Strengthening capabilities, fostering partnership top priorities at global health summitAdmiral Tim Ziemer, head of U.S. delegation, giving remarks at the Global Health Security Agenda Ministerial Meeting in Kampala, Uganda. by: Military Health System Communications Office
This week, hundreds of leaders representing partner nations, international organizations, and non-governmental stakeholders gathered in Kampala, Uganda, for the fourth annual High Level Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) ministerial meeting. The meeting represents a growing partnership of more than 60 nations working to build capacity to help create a world safe from infectious disease threats and elevate global health security as a national and global priority.
As global health threats intensify, so do the Department of Defense’s efforts to combat them with partner nations. In past years, the world has seen the devastating effects of infectious disease outbreaks, whether naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberately released. Because these diseases can rapidly become national security risks, it’s crucial for the DoD to work with governments, academia, and non-governmental organizations across the world.
Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Tom McCaffery (center), represented the DoD and participated in the first-ever defense panel at a GHSA Ministerial.“Today, we face a pivotal moment where, for each of us, global health security is an essential part of our national security,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Tom McCaffery, who represented the DoD and participated in the first-ever defense panel at a GHSA Ministerial. Leaders discussed the need for defense and security sectors to play a role in addressing global health threats.
The panel highlighted key lessons learned and examples of defense and security sectors working collaboratively to combat global health threats. McCaffery emphasized the specialty skills the military and security sector bring to the table, including health care access and distribution. Other essential specialties include outbreak detection and response, and the military’s unique experience with logistics, command and control, and complex contingency operations learned through years of operating in austere environments.
The U.S. delegation, led by retired Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer, Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security Council, included representatives from the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Treasury, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Leaders across GHSA partner nations, international organizations, and nongovernmental stakeholders evaluated progress made so far, fine-tuned the work and priorities ahead, and addressed barriers to achieving their collective goals.
Health is integral to the force readiness of partner nations, but outbreaks in any country can degrade operational readiness. As recent events such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the emergence of Zika, MERS, and avian and pandemic influenza demonstrate, global health threats can destabilize societies and undermine public order, leaving nations vulnerable to terrorism and other forms of conflict. The economic costs alone are staggering: $2.2. billion in GDP was lost in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in 2015, threatening not only macroeconomic stability but also food security, human capital development, and private sector growth.
“Global health engagement is a great avenue for partnership across the U.S. government ad among other health and security institutions around the world,” states Dr. David Smith, acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
DoD’s global health engagement activities with partner nations align with the GHSA agenda, including developing military medical capabilities of partner nations and building disaster preparedness and response capabilities, performing important health research and development, and monitoring global health threats.
McCaffery reiterated DoD’s commitment to strengthening responses to global health threats and its support for the Global Health Security Agenda.
“We encourage defense sectors to use the GHSA framework to increase collaboration and to bring together our unique assets across all sectors to detect and defeat disease at the earliest possible moment,” said McCaffery.
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Women's monthly symptoms may indicate more serious conditionsNagging symptoms that are assumed to be the result of a woman’s monthly cycle can really be warning signs of two common diseases, both of which are treatable. by: Military Health System Communications Office
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — When women think about all the symptoms associated with their monthly period – weight gain, pain, cramps – they may think these issues are just part of being female. But that’s not always the case. During Women’s Health Month, providers stress the first step to finding treatment and easing symptoms is getting evaluated.
“If women have painful periods that impact their lifestyle either at home or at work, such as pelvic pain, painful intercourse, or infertility, they should get evaluated by a gynecologist or doctor,” said Dr. Amy Asato, chief of the women’s health clinic at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in northern Virginia.
Two common but often undiagnosed diseases many women live with are endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. Neither disease has a specific known cure, but symptom-driven treatment is available.
Endometriosis is a condition that causes the tissue lining to develop outside of the uterus. Endometriosis lesions are typically located in the pelvis, but can occur in other areas of the body where they don’t belong. Air Force Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist Lt. Col. Kathleen O'Leary said genes and other factors can play a role in the cause of endometriosis. The risk increases for women with a family history of endometriosis. Women who started their period before age 11, have a family history of endometriosis, or have short menstrual cycles are at increased risk for the condition. Women who have heavy menstrual cycles that last more than seven days are also at risk.
“Diagnosis can be delayed because many of the symptoms of endometriosis overlap with other gynecological or gastrointestinal conditions,” said O’Leary. Surgery is often required for a definitive diagnosis, but that’s not always the case, she added. “The combination of signs and symptoms and certain imaging studies can be helpful to make a presumptive, nonsurgical diagnosis of endometriosis.”
According to the Department of Human Health Services’ Office of Women’s Health, the most common symptom is pain. This can be experienced as menstrual cramps, lower back or pelvic pain, intestinal pain, bowel movement pain, or pain after sex. Other symptoms include bleeding and spotting, infertility, and stomach digestive problems, such as diarrhea, constipation, or nausea – especially during periods.
Asato said the first line of defense in treating endometriosis is usually hormonal birth control. Other treatment options include over-the-counter and prescribed pain medications and surgery. The severity of the disease and its symptoms doesn’t always correlate with the amount of pain a woman experiences, said Asato. Someone with a severe case of endometriosis may never feel symptoms, sometimes only finding the disease during surgery for something else. Others may present with less severe endometriosis, yet experience more pain. When looking at possible treatments, physicians will consider a patient’s age, desire to have kids, severity of symptoms, and severity of the condition.
Polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS, is a disorder caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones, which can prevent a woman’s ovaries from producing eggs normally or releasing eggs during ovulation. According to the Office of Women’s Health, women with PCOS can experience irregular periods, either not knowing when she’ll get her period or missing it all together, which can then cause infertility or the formation of cysts.
“With PCOS, people usually come to us, the gynecologists, because they’re having irregular periods, infertility, or abnormal hair growth,” said Asato. These symptoms often lead doctors to order blood work that shows elevated hormones, she said.
According to the National Institutes of Health, several factors have been found to be related to PCOS. These include insulin resistance, overproduction of male hormones, weight, and family history. Some symptoms include pelvic pain, acne or oily skin, and excess hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, or thighs. NIH describes the most common symptom among women with PCOS as trouble getting pregnant.
“Having knowledge about the signs and symptoms of PCOS and endometriosis can help patients approach their doctors sooner to get evaluated and get symptomatic treatment,” said O’Leary. PCOS can affect reproductive and lifelong health, so getting a timely diagnosis and managing symptoms to prevent associated problems, like diabetes, obesity, and infertility, is important.
Similar to endometriosis, treatment can include hormonal birth control, which helps regulate periods, and anti-androgen medication, said O’Leary. For women who are obese or overweight, losing weight can also help alleviate PCOS symptoms. Women with PCOS who want to become pregnant should speak with their doctors about options, such as ovulation induction and lifestyle changes to help with fertility.
“Some conditions affecting women’s health, like endometriosis and PCOS, should not be taken for granted,” said Asato. “There are symptoms that come up and women will say, ‘Oh, that’s just how it is and we have to deal with it,’ but that shouldn’t be the case. There may be specific issues that are going unrecognized that can actually be treated.”
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DPAA accounts for 183 missing service members in fiscal year 2017The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency conducts a ceremony for POW/MIA Recognition Day at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Sept. 15, 2017. POW/MIA Recognition Day, first established in 1979 through a proclamation from President Jimmy Carter, is an observance to honor and recognize the sacrifices of those Americans who have been prisoners of war and to remind the Nation of those who are still missing in action. Today, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is conducting worldwide operations to provide the fullest possible accounting for those classified as still missing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Bruch) by: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
WASHINGTON — In Fiscal Year 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for 183 formerly missing persons from past conflicts. Also, the agency individually identified the remains of 18 additional personnel, who were previously accounted for as part of group burials, reaching another milestone of 201 total identifications for the fiscal year. DPAA works closely with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, part of the Research and Development Directorate of the Military Health System.
“These numbers are an unprecedented achievement in the accounting mission's history. With more than 600 military and civilian personnel stationed and operating around the world, DPAA is staunchly committed to researching, investigating, recovering, and identifying U.S. personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. It's through this staunch commitment that we endeavor to bring solace to those who still wait for the fullest possible accounting of their loved ones,” said DPAA Director Kelly McKeague.
A breakdown by conflict of those whose remains were identified shows that 143 were from World War II, 42 from the Korean War, and 16 from the Vietnam War. Geographically, 172 were from the Asia-Pacific region, and 29 were repatriated from the European-Mediterranean region.
In FY 2016, DPAA made 164 identifications. McKeague attributed the substantial increase in FY 2017 to talented and dedicated subject matter experts; advanced scientific methods; and a vigorous operations pace for field activities and disinterments.
“We are also extremely grateful to each of the countries in which we operate, the combatant commands, military Service Casualty Offices, as well as to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory; the teams from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries; and our partnerships with non-governmental organizations. Their collaboration with, and support to, DPAA have been outstanding," said McKeague.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for U.S. personnel still missing and unaccounted-for while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, or find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa.
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