Africa Partnership Station Brings Veterinary Care to Liberia

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Goyak | Capt. Brian Smith a veterinarian from the 64th Medical Battalion assigned to Africa Partnership Station (APS) is supporting West Africa Training Cruise 08, an exercise being held March 17 to April 5 in concert with the ongoing African Partnership Station deployment with a focus on the delivery of humanitarian assistance supplies to various clinics and schools in Monrovia, Liberia from a sea based command. Capt. Smith administers a dose of de-worming medication to one of 9 puppies in a litter brought to him for preventive medicine. The medicine will kill intestinal parasites, which could potentially be transferred to humans. APS is a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led initiative, executed by a multi-national staff aboard the amphibious dock landing ship Fort McHenry and Swift.  

03.24.2008

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Goyak 

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet

By Petty Officer 1st Class Brian A. Goyak
Africa Partnership Station Public Affairs

MONROVIA, Liberia – Africa Partnership Station (APS) brings members of the 64th Medical Battalion and Project Hope to help control the rabies virus in the local pet population, March. 24.

Beginning this morning, Capt. Brian Smith and Pvt. Valerie McCants, with the help of Marley Gevanthor, an Emergency Room Nurse from San Francisco General Hospital volunteering with Project Hope, began administering a combination vaccine to dogs and cats and a host of other animals belonging to locals.

Project Hope is a Non Government Organization (NGO) working in conjunction with APS in order to bring medical supplies and services to those in need in West and Central African countries.

"This project will only cover a small percentage of the population due to the limited number of doses. We are working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Health to arrange funding and assistance to broaden the rabies program here to allow for wider coverage of animals that will receive the rabies vaccine," said Smith.

In addition to protecting against rabies, the vaccine also protects the animals from rhinovirus, respiratory virus, herpes virus, and intestinal virus. To further protect the pets they were given de-worming medication as well. The de-wormer is important because it kills parasites that can be transferred to humans.

"It's wonderful to be able to take my skills and use them in a different discipline," said Gevanthor. "They're all little patients and we're helping to keep them healthy."

By the end of the day the trio had administered 100 doses of the vaccine with another clinic scheduled for tomorrow.

"I wish I could do more, Liberia has a large need, especially with rabies," added Smith. "Rabies is very prevalent in the dog population here and I'm glad that I'm able to do a little bit to help, hopefully I can arrange to do more in the future."

Part of the U.S. Navy's Global Fleet Station, APS provides a platform with the capacity and persistent presence to support sustained, focused training and collaboration on a regional scale to maritime partners in West and Central Africa.

Commander Task Force 365 and training teams from various U.S. and European military commands, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations are embarked on board Fort McHenry to enhance cooperative partnerships.

• Date Taken: 03.24.2008
• Date Posted: 03.25.2008 16:32
• Story ID: 17739