TASK FORCE III DESERT SHIELD/STORM

File: aaacf_49.txt
Page: 49
Total Pages: 273
	4. The USCINCCENT and USCENTAF preventive medicine guidelines for deployment of 
USAF personnel under Operation DESERT SHIELD included the requirement to receive immune 
serum globulin for prevention of Hepatitis A. We believe most USAF people did receive 
this.

III. 	FOOD SERVICE OPERATIONS AND FOOD SOURCES.

	1. Much of the food and a small army of food service workers were provided to 
USCENTAF bases by the host nation at no cost to the Air Force. The source of this food 
ranged from high-tech food processing plants to small local bakeries. Some food was 
imported from other countries and continents and other foods were locally produced and 
processed. Air Force commanders generally lacked the authority to select from the 
available food suppliers. This was determined by host nation authorities. Similarly, Air 
Force commanders had no real authority over local national food service workers and were 
not directly able to influence their performance or restrict those suspected of harboring 
common foodborne enteric pathogens from working with food .

	2. In some cases, a clear variance existed between local and U.S. sanitary 
standards. Sanitation standards in local commercial food processing facilities ranged 
from state-of-the-art to primitive. The knowledge of local national and third country 
nationals of food safety also varied widely. Some were well versed, in foodborne illness 
prevention. However, others seemed to be unaware of the most basic concepts of personal 
hygiene. For example an inspector reported that a local food service worker he observed 
squatting in a supply tent had urinated against some boxes of corn.

	3. Communication with local food service workers was extremely difficult. Many 
nationalities were represented in this workforce, including people from the countries of 
the Arabian Peninsula, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Reportedly, few of them 
spoke English and we are aware of no EH personnel that spoke any of these languages. 
However, some local national food service supervisors did speak English and could serve 
as translators.

	4. Local national health standards for food service workers were not known for 
every country in which USCENTAF operated. At some bases, EH was able to influence 
authorities to collect stool specimens of local and third country national food service 
workers. At one base, 13 of 25 specimens contained Giardia and Histolytica cysts and 
hook, round and whipworm ova, indicating significant intestinal parasite infections in 
this group. At another base, only roundworms were identified. To our knowledge, most 
bases did not pursue such testing and of those that did, no bacteriological evaluation 
was included. The health status of most local food service workers was never determined.