It is interesting that you don’t hear the Chinese or Russians complaining about the deployment of this Patriot battery to South Korea like you have about the THAAD battery when both systems have no capability to shoot down their ICBMs. It will also be interesting to see how long it will take before a THAAD battery is deployed to South Korea as well:
The United States temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea in response to North Korea’s nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch, ahead of talks next week to set up an even more sophisticated U.S. missile defense in a move that has worried China and Russia.
The new tough stance follows South Korea’s decision to shut down an inter-Korean factory park that had been the rival Koreas’ last major symbol of cooperation, but that Seoul said had been used by North Korea to fund its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea responded by deporting South Korean citizens, seizing South Korean assets and vowing to militarize the park. [Stars & Stripes]
Hopefully the spread of MERS is contained so the people in Pyeongtaek can get back to normal lives. Fortunately the ROK Air Force servicemember who tested positive for MERS recently has recovered:
A truck emits disinfectant smoke around Saint Mary’s Hospital in Pyeongtaek on Wednesday. South Korea’s first MERS patient spent three days in the hospital, spreading the disease to at least 30 others. Photo: European Pressphoto Agency
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea—A city best known by many for its nearby U.S. military base and surrounding rice paddies became ground zero as a deadly virus rarely seen outside the Middle East began to spread through South Korea.
At St. Mary’s Hospital in a newly developing industrial area of Pyeongtaek, about 35 miles south of Seoul, doctors puzzled for three days in mid-May over the flulike condition of a 68-year-old man, who hadn’t disclosed at that point that he had recently returned from the Middle East.
The man left St. Mary’s and was later admitted to a larger hospital in Seoul, where he was ultimately diagnosed with Middle East respiratory syndrome and was quarantined. But during that time in St. Mary’s, the man spread the MERS virus to more than 30 people. (…………………………)
A South Korean Defense Ministry official said one Korean man stationed at the Osan Air Base near Pyeongtaek who tested positive for MERS would be released on Thursday. The air base is close to the main U.S. military base of Camp Humphreys for which Pyeongtaek is known.
St. Mary’s was the first hospital named by the government as being part of the MERS outbreak. All patients, including MERS sufferers, have been moved to other hospitals. [Wall Street Journal via reader tip]
You can read more at the link, but it is going to be interesting to learn why MERS spread so widely in various hospitals as well as why so few people have died compared to outbreaks in the Middle East.
The Stars and Stripes has an article published now that discusses how a ROK Air Force servicemember has been hospitalized for MERS. Of further interest to those at Osan AB is that schools will remain open for now despite the MERS outbreak:
DODEA Pacific spokesman Charly Hoff said there are no plans to close military schools in South Korea.
“However, the health and well-being of our students and employees remain top priorities, and we are closely monitoring the situation in conjunction with military leaders and health experts,” he said. “Should an operational change become necessary, the principal at the local school will promptly notify students, parents and employees directly.” [Stars & Stripes]
You can read the rest at the link, but of further interest is that the ROK Air Force servicemember said he caught MERS while being treated for a fracture at a hospital. It seems that many of these infections are caused by people visiting the hospital where other MERS patients are. Hopefully the Korean hospitals take extra precautions to stop the spread of the virus within hospitals.
For everyone stationed on Osan Airbase here is something to definitely be aware of:
An Air Force officer was isolated at a military hospital on Wednesday under suspicions he may be infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), military officials said.
If confirmed, it would be the first case of the infection of the deadly respiratory virus in the South Korean military.
The chief master sergeant at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, whose identity was withheld, tested positive for MERS, the officials said.
They said the military instantly isolated him and some 100 soldiers stationed at the same air base at a military hospital and their homes to prevent further infection on the base.
“We isolated a number of soldiers suspected to have contracted the disease to prevent its spread by minimizing others’ contacts with those we suspect are infected,” one of the officials said requesting not to be named. “The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will determine whether he has been infected or not on Thursday or later,” the official said.
The officer previously had been hospitalized for a fracture at a civilian facility in Gyeonggi Province that treated MERS patients, based on which the military conducted epidemiological research.
He, however, is not showing symptoms of the disease such as a fever or cough, the officials said.
South Korea has placed more than 1,300 people in quarantine with 30 testing positive for the respiratory virus since the first case of the disease was reported on May 21. On Tuesday, two of the 30 MERS patients died, sparking panic among some locals and forcing over 500 schools to close. [Yonhap]
Hopefully base leadership is emphasizing taking appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of the disease on Osan. Tight barracks space with shared facilities is a perfect place for a disease like this to spread. This whole spread of MERS has shown how minor the whole anthrax incident USFK recently had really was.
I bet the person that organized this exercise is now regretting it:
Osan Air Base halted operations at its laboratory biological defense program this week after 22 people were possibly exposed to live anthrax spores, U.S. military officials said Friday.
A statement issued by U.S. Forces Korea and the 51st Fighter Wing said that a review would be conducted while operations are stopped, but it did not say who would be conducting the review nor what exactly they would be reviewing.
The live anthrax spores had been mailed from Dugway Proving Ground in Utah to Osan as well as to labs in nine states. It appears that irradiation procedures failed to kill the live spores, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Thursday. The military has said the anthrax spores were to be used for training purposes.
“The purpose of the training being conducted was undertaken in Korea with the expectation that the materials sent from the United States would be inert and harmless, to be used for identification and detection capabilities,” a statement issued by U.S. Forces Korea and the 51st Fighter Wing said.
It was the first time the training at Osan’s Joint United States Forces Korea Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition Program (JUPITR) had been conducted. According to the military’s statement, the training was meant to improve the U.S. and South Korea’s ability to protect their troops and the South Korean population “by testing currently fielded equipment and new systems that could better identify toxins and pathogens in the environment.” [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but maybe it would be better to certify that these systems work in the US and not bring in something like anthrax even if it was dead spores. That is because if it leaked to the media the anti-US groups would twist the facts to bash the US. Remember these are the people that nearly toppled newly elected President Lee Myung-bak by spreading US beef lies back in 2008. Now due to the irradiation failure they don’t even have to twist the facts to push their anti-US agenda the US military did for them.
The Chief of Staff of the Army is blaming a machine failure for the mailing of live anthrax spores to Osan AB:
The Army followed all appropriate procedures, but irradiation might have failed to kill live anthrax spores mailed to labs across the United States and a base in South Korea, Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Thursday.
Odierno said an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is focused on why the gamma radiation used by the Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah did not neutralize the spores before they were mailed. He said the Army is not aware of any other cases where irradiation did not work.
The Pentagon said Wednesday that Dugway mailed the spores to be used in training at labs in nine U.S. states as well as Osan Air Base, but there was no threat to the public. Anthrax is a potent biological weapon that is often deadly when inhaled; it was used in mail attacks after 9/11 that killed five people, wounded others and ratcheted up public anxiety over terrorism. [Stars & Stripes]
If you are wondering why anthrax is being mailed to Korea here is the reason:
U.S. Forces Korea said the sample it received was meant to be used in a training lab as part of its Joint Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition program, which is designed to increase biological weapons readiness on the peninsula.
I would love to see the risk assessment form done on this training exercise that some how involved real anthrax:
Twenty-two personnel at a U.S. Air Force Base in South Korea have been given emergency medical treatment after being exposed to a possible live sample of anthrax, the U.S. military said in a statement on Thursday.
The anthrax was destroyed on Wednesday when a sample initially expected to be inactive and destined for a training exercise was suspected of being live, according to a statement by the U.S. Air Force 51st Fighter Wing in the South Korean city of Osan, 35 kms (21 miles) south of Seoul.
None of the personnel in contact with the sample showed signs of exposure, the statement said, but were given “appropriate medical precautionary measures to include examinations, antibiotics and in some instances, vaccinations”. [Reuters]
Condolences to the family of this deceased airman:
A wooden frame encapsulated Kevin Bittinger’s military life — an American flag folded in a triangle, medals, and Air Force pins held his accomplishments, showcasing his dedication to serving his country.
The boxy frame was shown to his mother, Cindy Bittinger, on Monday. She nodded in approval and attempted to hold back tears for her son.
Kevin Bittinger, formerly of Wapakoneta, died at Osan Air Base while serving in South Korea as a member of the U.S. Air Force. Though the circumstances surrounding his death remained under investigation, his family was trying to come to terms with their loss. He was 24 years old.
Bittinger’s remains were brought back to Wapakoneta on Monday from South Korea. Family, friends and strangers gathered and participated in a processional, led by the Ohio Patriot Guard.
“It was awesome to see so many people honor Kevin. But it’s heartbreaking, too. You know, I think every one of these guys deserve that and it’s just … Kevin would have thought that was so neat. It’s awesome to see the support of our county,” Cindy Bittinger said.
Tori Wynn, a friend and a tech sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, also escorted Kevin Bittinger’s remains home to Wapakoneta from South Korea. Wynn is stationed in Japan.
Wynn said of the support shown, “It was amazing.”
At the time of his death a senior airman, Kevin Bittinger joined the Air Force right after he graduated Wapakoneta High School in 2009. He had been on active duty for nearly six years.
After his death, the U.S. Air Force issued a news release about the incident.
Kevin “Bittinger, a Pavements and Construction Equipment Journeyman, was assigned to the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron and arrived at Osan in May 2014,” according to the statement.
“The loss of Kevin is a devastating blow to the team,” said Lt. Col. Jack Wheeldon, 51st CES commander in the statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. From RED HORSE to Prime BEEF, Kevin has done so much for the Air Force and he will be truly missed.”
The U.S. Air Force declined further comment. [Stars & Stripes]
