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USNS Comfort Provides Veterinary Care for Nicaragua

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070725-10
Release Date: 7/25/2007 1:29:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Karsten, USNS Comfort Public Affairs

CHINANDEGA, Nicaragua (NNS) -- The veterinary team aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) provided services to more than 1,200 cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs at seven ranches in the Chinandega region of Nicaragua from July 20 to 23 as part of Comfort’s ongoing humanitarian mission.

The team, comprised of U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) officer Lt. Cmdr. Gregg Langham and Army Sgt. Leona Thomas, visited various farms throughout the region of Chinandega providing preventive medicine including tetanus shots, deworming, flea and tick treatments, and anti-parasite vaccinations along with minor care for sick and injured animals.

“Since we’ve arrived here, we’ve been to several beef cattle farms and we’ve been deworming and vaccinating the cattle because either the people don’t have access to these services or these services are too costly for the local people,” said Langham.

Working alongside the Comfort veterinarian team was the Nicaraguan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAGFOR).

MAGFOR, an organization partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provided instructors from a veterinary school in Managua, along with a veterinarian and fourth-year veterinary school students for this cooperative mission with Comfort.

“It’s such a positive collection of so many different talents and we all came together,” said Langham. “Fortunately we have veterinarian instructors and students -- that’s been a tremendous help to us. They’re hungry to learn and we're both hungry to pass along information.”

“I am delighted with the impact the veterinarian team is making in just a matter of a few days in Nicaragua,” said Capt. Craig A. Shepherd, USPHS chief environmental health officer and officer in charge of USPHS aboard Comfort. “In addition to deworming and vaccinating hundreds of farm animals, a great opportunity to train and work with local veterinarians and third- and fourth-year veterinarian students occurred as well, and we look forward to doing the same in other countries we will visit.”

Nicaragua is the first location that Comfort staff treated cattle. The inspection of cattle plays a vital role in regional public health as the cattle is destined for human consumption.

“These cattle are going to be consumed by the people so I think that it’s a great service for the people,” said Thomas. “The Comfort mission is a great place to be. I think it’s great that the Army is participating in this and providing humanitarian services for the people of Nicaragua."

"I think that this is one of the most satisfying missions I’ve been doing so far in my military career and I’m glad to be here,” said Thomas.

The teamwork of the two nations is part of an initiative aimed at strengthening and embracing the bonds between the United States and Latin American nations.

Comfort is currently deployed as part of a U.S. Southern Command’s Partnership for the America’s ongoing training and readiness operation designed to strengthen regional partnerships.

Military and civilian medical staff from across the U.S. and Canada are deployed with Comfort on a four-month humanitarian assistance mission to Latin America and the Caribbean providing health care services to people in more than a dozen countries.