University Daily Kansan / Thursday, March 26, 1992
5
Unidentified illness plagues returning gulf war reservists
Hair loss, fatigue and muscle aches among symptoms
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — About 60 members of Army Reserve units from Indiana have complained of mysterious illnesses since their return from Persian Gulf duty and Army officials confirmed yesterday that they were studying the ailments.
Reported symptoms include hair loss, muscle aches and chronic fatigue, officials said. Other symptoms include aching teeth and gums, and thick saliva.
"It was so bad that when I showered, both my hands would be covered with hair," reservist Sgt. Lori Rosalius said in a telephone interview. She said she fell so ill shortly after returning to the United States last June that she thought she was "dying from some disease."
Rosalius, 28, of Crescent City, Ill. consulted two doctors and a nutritionist before she found any relief.
The complaints have been limited to about 60 members of three combat support units under the 123rd U.S. Army Rescue Command based in Indianapolis, said Steve Stromvall, representative for the Army Reserve Command in Atlanta. Those units were deployed to five locations in Saudi Arabia.
Army officials were trying to trace other units that served in the same areas to determine whether similar complaints have been reported, Stromvall said.
Some soldiers think they were sickened by prolonged exposure to microwaves, Stromwall said. Microwave radiation is emitted by radar and is the energy source in
microwave ovens.
"So far, there's no singular indication of a specific cause," he said.
Rosalius said she thought her symptoms might be a side effect from an anthrax vaccine the soldiers were ordered to take in January and February 1991 to prepare them for possible germ warfare.
Stromvall said: "That's something that hasn't been ruled out, among other things."
Rosalius was a member of the Army Reserves 209th Supply Company based in Lafayette, Ind., when her unit was activated and sent to Saudi Arabia in November 1990. Military officials said similar complaints have come from other members of the 209th unit, the 300th Supply and Services battalion, also based in Lafayette, and the 417th Quartermaster Company at Jeffersonville.
Rosalius said she became alarmed last July when she started losing abnormal amounts of hair. By mid-August her symptoms worsened. She had developed halitosis and fatigue that was so great she was only able to leave her bed a couple of hours a day.
The first two doctors she consulted treated her for a parasitic disease known as leishmaniasis, transmitted by sandflies in the Persian Gulf. They prescribed antibiotics that temporarily cured the halitosis. "But they never proved there was a parasite," she said.
In mid-September she consulted Chris Chalk, a chiropractor and nutritionist, who determined she was suffering from malnutrition and hypothyroidism. He linked Rosalius' illness to stress, heat and the processed food she ate while on deployment.
"I think it was because it was so hot and they drank and drank and drank" and rarely ate highly nutritional food, Chalk said. Chalk prescribed vitamins and other supplements, and Rosalius said she started to feel better by November.
Marnee Dietrich/KANSAN
Attention!
Bravo company stands at attention in front of Allen Field House for the tion was the last building up to the April 22 inspection by the com- Naval ROTC battalion commander's inspection. Yesterday's inspec- manding officer of the Naval ROTC unit.
Quivering economy signals an uneven recovery
Analysts noted that excluding the 19.4-percent drop in the defense category, durable goods orders rose 1.3 percent.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Plunging demand for military equipment reduced factory orders for durable goods by 0.1 percent in February, but existing home sales soared as buyers rushed to take advantage of low mortgage rates, reports showed yesterday.
Overall, orders for durable goods --- items such as cars and communications equipment expected to last more than three years --- fell to a seasonally adjusted $120.5 billion, according to the Commerce Department report.
Gordon Richards, an economist with the National Association of Manufacturers, said the report was consistent with the slow overall course of
Asked Tuesday whether the economy has enough momentum to guarantee a recovery, presidential press secretary Marlin Fitzwater replied: "There are encouraging signs of recovery. But the economic statistics are still embryonic. We'll just have to wait and see."
economist delivery.
"I signals a weak and uneven recovery," said economist David Jones of Aubrey G. Lansston & Co., a New York securities dealer. "The real question is is it sustainable?"
economic activity.
Most analysts project just 3-percent economic growth this year. But since WW II, there has been an average of 6-
percent growth during the first year of recovery from recessions
After declining 5 percent in December, orders had risen 2.4 percent the next month, to $120.6 billion. The January advance initially was estimated to be 2.2 percent. Orders, a gauge of future manufacturing activity, had peaked at $134.4 billion in December 1988.
The National Association of Realers, meanwhile, reported that sales of previously owned homes rose 9.3 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.52 million in February.
The rate was up from 3.22 million in January and was the highest since it rose to 3.62 million in January 1898. The percentage gain was the steepest since a 12.2 percent advance in January 1983.
Sales rose in all regions of the country in February as mortgage rates began climbing from an 18-year low just a month earlier.
Scholarships for 1992-1993
Kansas and Burge Unions University/Community Service Scholarship Awards
As a result of the efforts of many students saving the furniture and art objects while providing invaluable service to firefighters during the Kansas Union fire on April 20, 1970, insurance carriers decided to present the Kansas Union with a gift. The Student Union Activities Board will again choose a student deserving of being awarded a scholarship from the interest on this gift.
Qualifications:
Must be a regularly enrolled KU student this spring semester and be enrolled for the fall 92 and spring 93 semesters. Must have commenced education to the university and/or the Lawrence community Scholarship, and/or preference for references will be a minimal consideration in application reviews.
Applications:
Applications:
Available March 18 in SUA Office, Kansas Union, 864-3477. Must be received by 5.00pm Friday, April 10. Interviews will be Tuesday,
April 14 at 6:30.
STUDENT UNION ACTIVITIES
S Medical Aid for El Salvador S Where does all that rice and beans money go anyway?
Lynne Lyman
STUDENT UNION ACTIVITIES
KU student and former worker with Medical Aid for El Salvador Thursday, March 26 6:00 p.m.: Rice and Beans Dinner 6:20 p.m.: Educational Program Ecumenical Christian Ministries Building. 1204 Oread
Sponsored by
Latin American Solidarity will be serving a Rice and Beans Dinner from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. A $2.00 donation is requested for this dinner, the proceeds of which will go to Medical Aid for El Salvador. For more information on this program, call 749-4036.
Don't miss the Forum on Environmental Issues in Central America on Thursday night, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jayhawk Room of the Kansas Union and the other Central American Week Activities, March 22-28.
Latin American Solidarity
SPORTS
FAN-BY-TC
OUTLET
NCAA Tournament Shirts
Bowware Of The Phog T-Shirts
"6th Man 5 Shirts"
Big "8 Champs 5 Shirts"
Look for Local & Authentic NCAA
Shirts All The Way To the Finds!
941 Mass: 842-233-213 Free Parking in Back
Downtown Lawrence - Across From Mass St. Dearbull
Sponsored by: Student Union Activities, Student Senate AIDS Task Force, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic, Health Education Department and Women's Student Union
Have you had mononucleosis within the last month? If so, your plasma could make a valuable contribution to research and earn you $50 at the same time.
For additional details call Lawrence Donor Center at 749-5750
$50 $50
MONO
For more information call 864-3477
Limited Seating Available
Free Admission
Tuesday, March 31, 1992
8 pm Kansas Union Ballroom
Jeanne White
1801 MASSACHUSETTS Nightly Dinner Specials That Include an "All You Can Eat" Salad Bar!
CORNUCOPIA
A RESTAURANT & BAR
Jeanne's story is not one filled with doom and gloom. Hers is a story of the joy of life, the determination needed to survive life's trials, and the beauty of her son, who understood both.
"The Legacy of Ryan White" An Educational Lecture
Jayhawk Bookstore
*at the top of Naples Mall*
Call for Special Charter Rates
Mon.-Thurs.
843-3826
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