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Schistosomiasis and Melioidosis: VA Won't Test for Asian Diseases!

By VVAW

Once again the veterans Administration is playing dirty little tricks on the Vietnam veteran. As if chemical poisoning wasn't enough, we now have to worry about little-known Asian diseases which rot our bodies but do not produce symptoms until years after exposure. In fact, the VA would not recognize these diseases today except that World War II vets who served in the Philippines, India, China and Burma recently started dying from the effect of melioidosis and schistosomiasis.

For those of you not yet familiar with these diseases, here is a brief description. Schistosomiasis: a liver fluke transmitted from diseased snails through stagnant water (rice paddies) into your body via anus, abrasions, cuts or wounds. The tiny fluke finally settles in your liver after traveling through your blood system and breeds like mink. After about ten years or more you start to get pains, mostly in your legs and arms. But by then the damage is done. Bye-bye liver! A good description of schistomiasis and its treatment and eradication by the Chinese government is in the book "Away With All Pests" (you see, schistosomiasis can be treated).

Melioidosis you also catch by wading through rice paddies. This is a fungus caused by decaying human feces. It also gets into your bloodstream and sometimes causes malaria-like symptoms. A test for medioidosis was recently developed by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta but because of the cost the VA isn't testing Vietnam veterans, just WW II vets.

Since early this year the VFW has taken an active interest in these diseases and the national staff has tried several times to get a response from the VA on proposed screening and treatment. All the VFW has gotten so far are some pretty surly answers. If the VA won't make an honest reply to a national organization with political clout, what kind of answer do you think they'll give a solitary veteran?

Why won't the VA screen and test for these diseases/ Recently, VVAW managed to get a copy of the VA Chief Medical Director's letter dated march 8, 1982, Subject: Meliodosis. This document established VA policy for testing (or not testing) for melioidosis. In the third paragraph is found the following: "a blue ribbon panel agreed unanimously that screening tests for melioidosis are not appropriate..It is a well established principle in medicine that screening should not be done when treatment is either not available or not recommended for positive results."

What does this mean? simply that since the VA can't find a treatment for melioidosis (and probably schistosomiasis as well), they'll not bother to test for it. If the VA did recognize the disease symptoms they'd either have to treat you or compensate you. By ignoring the problem—like they did Agent Orange—the VA hopes the veterans will go quietly away. Treatment and compensation cost a great deal of money; much more than President Reagan, Davey Stockman and the VA want to pay out. If there are too many claims to pay out, why then the next VA chief won't be able to redecorate his office.

The VA knows about melioidosis and schistosomiasis. These diseases can be treated and arrested. We should not be denied adequate health care simply because the treatment is too expensive. If we were good enough to fight their dirty little war, we are good enough to get decent health care.