Airmen deliver 30,000 H1N1 prevention kits to Haiti and Central America

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Justin Brockhoff
  • 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  An Air Mobility Command C-17 Globemaster III and its crew, operating in conjunction with U.S. Southern Command efforts, delivered 30,000 H1N1 influenza prevention kits to Haiti and five Central American countries May 8 to 10, according to AMC officials.

The H1N1 flu virus, first detected in April, is a new strain of influenza that has been diagnosed in more than 5,700 patients across 33 countries, according to the World Health Organization. The virus is believed to spread mainly from person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.

The prevention kits, valued at approximately $225,000 according to a U.S. Southern Command release, were delivered by the U.S. Airmen to the governments of Haiti, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The intent is for the governments to distribute the kits to first responders in the event of an outbreak of the H1N1 virus in their respective countries.

Airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., were tapped to perform the mission as part of on-going international efforts to prevent further spread of the virus. Command and control oversight of the mission was provided by the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, AMC's 24-hour air operations center located at Scott AFB, Ill.

"U.S. Southern Command made a request to U.S. Transportation Command to airlift the kits, and the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center received the tasking as the military's hub for global air mobility operations," said Lt. Col. Jon Raymond, who was involved in planning the mission as part of the 618th TACC's Current Operations Directorate. "618th TACC personnel scheduled the mission, allocated aircraft and crews to fly the mission, and stayed in close contact with the crew to execute the mission through completion."

The C-17 took off from Charleston AFB early May 8 to deliver the kits, which contained safety goggles, disposable overalls, gloves, shoe covers, aprons, infectious waste bags with biohazard symbols and disposable respirators.

In less than 36 hours the aircraft and its crew made its stops at all six locations, and were heading back to the U.S.

"I was flight following this mission from the TACC's operations floor when it started, and everything went off without a hitch," said Mr. Brian Barnsley, a 618th TACC integrated flight manager. "As an IFM, I'm here to support aircrews from the moment I arrive until the moment I leave. Being involved on this mission to deliver the flu kits means a lot because of the direct and immediate impact we're having to help others around the world."

The kits were delivered as part of U.S. humanitarian relief efforts being led by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The agency activated a response management team during the beginning stages of the virus' outbreak, and as of May 7, has provided more than $3.6 million in H1N1 relief supplies and support services worldwide, according to a USAID fact sheet.

More information about humanitarian relief efforts to stop the spread of the H1N1 flu virus can be found on the USAID web site at www.usaid.gov. Further details about the H1N1 virus itself, including steps to help prevent further spread of the virus, can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov.

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page