Viral Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Deployed British Troops During 2002-7

Bailey, Margaret; Gallimore, Christopher; Lines, L.; Green, A D; Lopman, Ben; Gray, Jim; Brown, David

doi:10.1136/jramc-154-03-04

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…A number of reports from both the British8 – 10 and US military11 – 15 attested to the significant attack rates and consequences of infectious diarrhoea. Despite evidence of over 50+ daily admissions to the field hospital in Shaibah, no formal prospective attempts were made to understand the full epidemiology and microbiology of diarrhoea in this location.…”

Section: Recent Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite evidence of over 50+ daily admissions to the field hospital in Shaibah, no formal prospective attempts were made to understand the full epidemiology and microbiology of diarrhoea in this location. Bailey and colleagues8 attempted to draw some conclusions from limited microbiological data in an effort to point the way forward. The data were however retrospective and limited, and did not fully describe the breadth of causative pathogens in this geographical location 16.…”

Section: Recent Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Update on military diarrhoea: current status and future plans

Connor

Gutiérrez

2013

J R Army Med Corps

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Section: Recent Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recent Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Update on military diarrhoea: current status and future plans

Connor

Gutiérrez

2013

J R Army Med Corps

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“…2 Gastrointestinal diseases have historically resulted in a significant reduction in operational readiness of military personnel, 3,4 and outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases have continued to afflict military forces despite the provision of safe food and water, education about hygiene, and appropriate waste disposal. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] French soldiers have had gastrointestinal diseases while deployed to areas around the world, including Africa. 14,15 In addition to being present in the Djibouti, French soldiers have been stationed for many years in Senegal, the Côte d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Chad, Mayotte, La Reunion, and until 2008, Cameroon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gastrointestinal Illnesses among French Forces Deployed to Djibouti: French Military Health Surveillance, 2005–2009

Ollivier¹,

Decam²,

Santi³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Despite an increase in foreign tourism and in the numbers of foreign military personnel deployed to Djibouti, little is known about the risk of gastrointestinal illness in this country in eastern Africa. To assess risk and to describe common features of gastrointestinal illnesses, reports of illness derived from military health surveillance data collected during 2005–2009 among French service members deployed to Djibouti were reviewed. Diarrhea was the most common problem; it had an annual incidence ranging from 260 to 349 cases per 1,000 person-years. The risk was higher among soldiers deployed short-term (four months) than among soldiers deployed long-term (two years). This five-year review of French health surveillance data documents a significant burden of diarrhea among French soldiers in Djibouti. The identification of factors associated with risk may permit efficient targeting of interventions to reduce morbidity from gastrointestinal illness.

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“…This may have been true for established military operations with good facilities in areas where exotic, emerging or re-emerging infections did not occur. However, during operations in Sierra Leone (1999–2002), there were outbreaks of malaria47 and intestinal helminths;48 in Iraq (2003–2009), there were outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis (Figure 6)49 50 and bacterial gastroenteritis (L Lines, personal communication); and in Afghanistan (2001 onwards) there were outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis,51 bacterial gastroenteritis (E Hutley, personal communication), cutaneous leishmaniasis52 and ‘Helmand Fever’ caused by sandfly fever, acute Q fever or rickettsial infections (including typhus) 43 53. In Iraq and Afghanistan, complex trauma-related wound infections with multi-drug resistance have also occurred and these create new challenges for surgeons, medical microbiologists, infectious disease physicians and infection control practitioners 54 55.…”

Section: British Military Experiences In the 21st Centurymentioning

confidence: 99%

A brief history of British military experiences with infectious and tropical diseases

Bailey

2013

J R Army Med Corps

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Infectious and tropical diseases have been a problem for British expeditionary forces ever since the Crusades. Outbreaks were especially common on Navy ships from the 16th to 18th centuries due to poor living conditions and travel to the tropics. However, since these occurred in small, isolated and controlled environments it meant that naval medical practitioners were able to keep detailed records and develop empirical approaches for their prevention. The first Royal Naval Hospitals were established in response to these diseases and Royal Navy doctors made valuable early contributions towards understanding them. Even larger outbreaks of infectious and tropical diseases occurred in the Army during the Napoleonic, Crimean and Boer Wars and throughout the colonial era, which strongly influenced the formation of the Army Medical Services including provision for teaching and research. The establishment of germ theory led to a golden era of discovery regarding these diseases and British Army doctors made numerous important contributions. Subsequent improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment reduced the mortality from infectious and tropical diseases during the World Wars, but they remained a significant problem in the non-European campaigns and also the numerous ‘small wars’ that followed. Even in the 21st century some of these diseases still cause outbreaks with significant morbidity and impact on deployments, but the military clinical and academic resources to deal with them are now much reduced. Preventive measures such as hygiene, sanitation, infection control, vaccination and chemoprophylaxis are invaluable, but history shows that these can become neglected over time and disrupted or overwhelmed during the early or most intense stages of military operations. This is why military specialists in infectious diseases, tropical medicine, sexual health, medical microbiology and communicable diseases control are still required.

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Viral Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Deployed British Troops During 2002-7

Abstract: These findings can help to predict future viral gastroenteritis outbreaks and target improved prevention strategies appropriately. However, more systematic studies are now required.

Cited by 22 publications

References 13 publications

Update on military diarrhoea: current status and future plans

Update on military diarrhoea: current status and future plans

Gastrointestinal Illnesses among French Forces Deployed to Djibouti: French Military Health Surveillance, 2005–2009

A brief history of British military experiences with infectious and tropical diseases

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