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Humanitarian Medical Aid Mission in the Middle of a Pandemic – Israeli Experience in Equatorial Guinea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2022

Amir Shlaifer Open the ORCID record for Amir Shlaifer [Opens in a new window] ,
Asaf Berman ,
Avi Benov ,
Guy Friedman ,
Tomer Koller ,
Ran Ankory ,
Ofer Almog ,
Elhanan Bar On ,
Shachar Shapira  and
Moti Harats
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Amir Shlaifer*
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
Asaf Berman
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
Avi Benov
Affiliation:
The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel; Command Surgeon, Northern Command, Israel Defense Forces
Guy Friedman
Affiliation:
Foot and Ankle Surgery Unit, Department of Orthopedics, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel - affiliated with the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Tomer Koller
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
Ran Ankory
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
Ofer Almog
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
Elhanan Bar On
Affiliation:
The Israel Center for Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Response, Sheba Medical Center; Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Shachar Shapira
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel Department of Military Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Moti Harats
Affiliation:
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery & The National Burn Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Institute for Health Research, University of Notre Dame, Western Australia, Australia
Elon Glassberg
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel; The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Bethesda, MarylandUSA
Noam Fink
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
*
Correspondence: LTC Dr. Shlaifer Amir, MD, MHA IDF-MC Headquarter Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Introduction:

In March 2021, a series of explosions shook a military base in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. As a response to government officials’ request, the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (IDF-MC) deployed an emergency aid team that faced two major challenges: (1) understanding the scenario, the injury patterns, and the needs of the local medical system; and (2) minimizing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak threats. This report describes the team design, the activities performed before and during the deployment, analyzes the pathology encountered, and shares lessons learned from the mission.

Sources:

Data were collected from the delegation protocols and IDF medical records. All activities of the Israeli delegation were coordinated with the local government.

Observations:

The local authorities reported that a total of 107 people were killed and more than 700 people were wounded. The team was the first international team to arrive at the scene and assisted the local medical teams to treat 231 patients in the three local hospitals and 213 patients in field clinics in the villages surrounding Bata. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced the operation of this mission, and caution measures were activated.

Analysis:

Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) are a growing problem causing the medical teams to face unique challenges. By understanding the expected challenges, the team was reinforced with a plastic surgeon, portable ultrasound devices, a large amount and a variety of antibiotics, whole blood units, and freeze-dried plasma. Rehabilitation experts were needed in some cases in the week following the injury. An important key for the success of this kind of medical aid delegation is the collaboration with the local medical teams, which enhances patient care.

Keywords

COVID-19humanitarian medical aid missionunplanned explosions at munitions site (UEMS)
Type
Field Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , June 2022 , pp. 417 - 420
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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