Vietnam Veterans, Agent Orange Exposure, and Diabetes; An Incomplete NY Times Article

An article in the June 5, 2013 NY Times ponders the reasons for the marked increased incidence of debilitating diabetes in Vietnam. The author fails to mention that in November 2000, using data analysis from the National Academy of Science, the Veterans Administration added Type II diabetes to the long list of probable illnesses caused by Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. Virtually all Vietnam veterans were exposed to dioxin in Agent Orange, and almost all who develop Type II diabetes can claim VA benefits for this condition as a service-related condition. Toxicity of Agent Orange is measured in parts per billion, and this virtual epidemic of diabetes in Vietnamese civilians who have continued exposure, adds further evidence to the VA/NAS position.
     The problem for Vietnam veterans is that many who have and will develop Type II diabetes will never know that this and other Agent Orange conditions are service-related because most veterans (from all wars) receive their healthcare from non-VHA civilian physicians. Although 10 percent of adults in the US have served in the military, civilian doctors are not trained to routinely ask their patients if they are veterans, where and when they served, and if they may have been exposed to toxic substances known to cause illness. It is therefore prudent for veterans of all wars to give this information to their doctors - whether their doctors ask for it or not!
     The Association of American Medical Colleges is working with the White House initiative, Joining Forces, to encourage medical schools to add military health history and veterans' cultural awareness to medical school curriculum and to electronic health records. And the Veterans' Health Administration has been made aware that physicians who rotate through their facilities do not routinely receive this training as part of their orientation.
     Further information can be found at www.jlbmd.com/veterans advocate.html