Man, 38, dies from deadly tropical disease after returning to the UK from Afghanistan

The Daily Mail  October 6, 2012

A man diagnosed with a tropical disease after returning to the UK from Afghanistan has died in hospital, it has emerged today.

The 38-year-old was fighting for his life in a high security isolation ward at the Royal Free Hospital in London after contracting the deadly Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).

He was transferred by the RAF on a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Brownlee Unit in Glasgow to the specialist high security unit at the Royal Free London on Thursday.

It is the first laboratory-confirmed case of CCHF in the UK, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Other passengers who sat close to him on an aircraft are undergoing daily health checks.

‘Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever can be acquired from an infected patient only through direct contact with their blood or body fluids, therefore there is no risk to the general public,’ the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust said.

‘We would like to extend our condolences to his family.’

The man, 38, was diagnosed when he returned to Glasgow on a flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday.

He had flown into Scotland on a connecting flight from Dubai.

More Details at The Mail Online

Civilian Contractor Bitten by Bat in Contra Costa, Dies of Rabies

NBC Bay Area  October 4, 2012

A Contra Costa man who was bitten by a bat in June, has died of rabies.

The 34-year-old unidentified man, died July 31st, in Zurich, Switzerland, according to the CDC. The man had previously been getting treatment in a Dubai hospital in the United Arab Emirates.

He had been a civilian contractor in Iraq, and traveled back and forth between the States and Iraq. The man is believed to have been on eight international flights between the time he was bitten and the time he died.

Rabies is almost always fatal after symptoms are present. It can be transmitted from person to person if the infected individual’s tears or saliva are introduced into another person’s open wounds or mucous membranes.

The CDC interviewed others believed to have come in contact with the man, and no secondary cases have been identified

US contractor sentenced to nine years on drug charges

Salam al Amir at The National

Last Updated: Jan 24, 2011

DUBAI  A Dubai-based American contractor who fought with undercover officers, claiming they were Taliban when they arrested him on drug charges, was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance today.

The 27-year-old KJ, who had worked as a contractor in Afghanistan, was arrested on September 18, 2010, by narcotics officers in Pakistani national dress, records show.

He wrestled with them, screaming “they are not police”. A witness told prosecutors the man feared for his life and thought the men were Taliban insurgents who wanted to kidnap him.

KJ was sentenced to four years in prison for possession and consumption of 10 grams of hashish and five years for facilitating 2.8 grams to another person to consume. He was also fined Dh20,000 for the facilitation charge.

Prosecutors said he was arrested after a taxi driver told police he had been offered hashish by a passenger. KJ will be deported after serving his jail term.

The verdict is still subject to appeal.  Please see the original here

salamir@thenational.ae

American Contractor mistakes police for Taliban during drug arrest

American mistakes police for the Taliban during his drug arrest

DUBAI // An American contractor who does business in Afghanistan fought with three undercover officers, thinking they were Taliban members, when he was arrested in connection with drug charges, a court heard yesterday.

K J, 27, was arrested on September 18 by three drug officers dressed in Pakistani national dress, records showed, and he fought with them while screaming, “they are not police”.

A witness told prosecutors that K J had feared for his life because he thought the men were insurgents who wanted to kidnap him.

K J was charged with possession and consumption of 10 grammes of hashish, as well as facilitating the transfer of 2.8 grammes of the drug to another person. He denied the charges in the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance.

The American was detained after a taxi driver told police that a passenger offered him hashish after chatting with him about life in Afghanistan.

“I spoke to him about shars [hashish] and he told me he had some,” the driver told prosecutors. “I asked for some to be sure, and he handed me a small piece wrapped in plastic.”

After the defendant was dropped off at his hotel, he arranged for the taxi to pick him up later that day for another trip. The driver contacted police, who instructed him to take the passenger to a petrol station in the al Ghusais district, where they would arrest him.

During the arrest, the defendant reacted violently whilst trying to defend himself.

Police officers told the court that they presented their identifications and said they were police, but the defendant continued to wrestle with them.

They claimed that K J showed them the drugs in his possession, and said that he acquired them in Afghanistan with the intent of consuming them in the US. He will appear in court again next month.  Please see the original story here