Soldiers in flood zone engage in germ warfare

At the Connaught Range near Shirley's Bay in west Ottawa, three soldiers are engaging with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

The weapon of choice in this battle: aplastic kitchen scrub brush normally applied to casserole dishes in the mess hall.

Their enemy is E. coli, a coliform bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.

The worry is that as the Ottawa River overruns septic fields and sewer systems in the area, E. coli cells, which can survive outside the body for a limited amount of time, will mix with the water circulating around waders, boots and ungloved hands, and sicken the 700 or so soldiers helping with the flood effort here.

So far, the military says it'sbeen winning the battle.

A simple solution

Three large grey, Rubbermaid tubs sit on folding tables in the parking lot of a building on Brouillette Boulevard near the southwestcorner of thissprawling training facility.

"It's a very simple solution," saidCpl. David Pickett.

In the first tub, dirty waders are scrubbed down with soapy water. They'rethen dunked inthe middle tub and rinsed with clean water.

Finally, a third container containing onepart bleach and 10 parts water is used to put the enemy out of its misery.

The clean equipment is thentaken to hang dry in a building where a diesel-fuelled heater and fans have created a tropical environment.

"Hygiene is crucial," said Pickett, who hails from North Bay, Ont.

Simple advice

The CFB Petawawamedical technician has training similar to that of a paramedic, and offers some simple advice to civilians who don't have decontamination stations of their own.

"Just shower at the end of every day. Make sure you're clean. Don't play in the water."

"To be honest, I'm not that worried," said Capt.James Bryan Fukakusa, the University of Ottawa-trained medical officer for operation LENTUS.

So far, the small field clinic at Connaught Range has dealt only with relatively minor injuries to the roughly 700 troops stationed here in tent-like shelters. It's been mostlysore backs, feetand hands, Fukakusa said.

"The kinds of things that I think a lotof Canadians are familiar with who have been working with sandbagsmaking them, putting them out into walls."

Handwashing crucial

Those with cuts or blisters should keep their woundscovered and dry, he said.If there is pain or swelling, they should seek medical attention.

One of the greatest dangers is inattention: soldiers who have been working in the dirty water and take a break for food or drink without first washing their hands.

"You need to treat [the water] as contaminated," agreed Michael Ferguson, Ottawa Public Health's health hazardsresponse unit manager

OPHis directing anyone in the flood zone to consult a special web page.